


Two New Stars

by Amalthea_Oberon, ChipOfftheOldSoul



Series: Harry Potter AU - The Moon and Stars [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Aromantic Character, Aromantic Sirius, Brief Depression, Daily Prophet, Diagon Alley, Dumbledore Bashing, Foster Family, Kid Fic, OFC doesn't appear until the end and she doesn't have any lines, Past Child Abuse/Neglect, Platonic Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, Quidditch, Regulus Lives, Wolfsbane, but she's there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-14
Updated: 2017-07-04
Packaged: 2018-06-02 06:50:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 44,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6555961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amalthea_Oberon/pseuds/Amalthea_Oberon, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChipOfftheOldSoul/pseuds/ChipOfftheOldSoul
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After tossing him to the Dursleys, the world forgot about The Boy Who Lived. Sirius disagrees. After Lucius claimed Imperius, the world forgot he could still do wrong. Regulus disagrees.</p><p>And for some reason, people keep turning up on Remus' doorstep.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> We're pretending finals don't start tomorrow, so here's the first two chapters of "Two New Stars". We'll be alternating chapters; Amalthea_Oberon wrote this one.
> 
> This story is based off a tumblr post that will be posted at the end of Chapter 2 to avoid spoilers.

Remus stumbled up the steps, fumbling with his keys. It had been a rather long day, and an even longer week. It had started out with a full moon, which always made a bad start to any week, no matter what happened the rest of the time. He had been spending more and more time with Greyback and his pack, infiltrating the small band dedicated to Voldemort’s cause. Though the Dark Lord had fallen, his supporters were still out there, Dumbledore kept telling him, and they needed to be caught in case he ever came back. While most would refute Dumbledore’s opinion of the imminence of Voldemort’s return, Regulus agreed that it was better to be safe than sorry.

Too wary of the surrounding muggle neighborhood to pull out his wand and perform a spell to get in, Remus messed with his keys for another five minutes before finding the right one. He could never figure out why muggles didn’t come up with a quicker, less cumbersome way of securing their houses and belongings. Walking in, he closed the door, kicked off his shoes, and collapsed on the nearby couch, far too aware of the fact that he hadn’t slept in his bed in over a week. The sun set, casting a brief orange light around the small apartment, only to be replaced minutes later by an ever-increasing greylight. Well after midnight but before the birds began to sing in the early morning, a sharp rap woke Remus with a jolt. He lay there for a moment debating on whether talking to the visitor was worth it, only getting up when another series of raps beckoned him from his slumber. Groggily pushing himself off the couch, he flipped on the porch light, and warily opened the door.

The sight that met his eyes was the last thing he expected. Werewolves, death eaters, Dumbledore with another mission, the Ministry… But no. Standing on the steps, a desperate look on his face, a bundle in his arms, was the friend who had supposedly forgotten about him. An Auror too busy with catching a traitor, Sirius Black had not so much as sent a single word to the werewolf. Remus stared blankly at the familiar face. In a moment of anger which was rarely seen in the slight man, Remus pulled his fist back and slugged Sirius in the jaw. Grabbing for his shirt, Remus pulled, ending up with instead with the bundle in his arms which, oddly, began to cry. Surprised, he carefully unwrapped the blanket to reveal Harry’s face staring up at him, a lightning scar clearly visible under the wild, black hair. His eyes traveling to meet eyes of silver, Remus stared intently at Sirius, a question in his mind, his tongue searching for the words. Before he ever did find the right ones, Sirius burst open, spilling the entire story.

“I caught Pete tonight, Remus. I finally found and arrested him. It’s over.”

“What does that have to do with you showing up with Harry? _Dumbledore_ said he’s supposed to be with his aunt and uncle.”

“I’ve been keeping tabs on him. I’ve had someone watching over the house. I don’t trust them. The muggle sister of Lily’s despises witches and wizards. You can only imagine how Petunia reacted to Lily’s son after the brutal murder of her sister by a psychotic wizard? I didn’t trust her, or her oaf of a husband. Not as far as I could throw either of them.”

“And that gives you rights to kidnapping?”

“Imagine it Remus. What do you think they were like? What do you think happened?” At this, the two men paused. Sirius waited for Remus’ response as he thought over everything Lily and and James had said about Petunia and Vernon. What came to mind wasn’t kind, loving, or warm. “I had to do it, Remus. They were terrible to him. Yelling at the smallest thing he did.Leaving him crying when they didn’t feel like dealing with him. But he’s just a baby. Crying is all they _can_ do. Spoiling their son and only giving Harry the bare necessities. They didn’t mean to neglect him. They couldn’t have that on their reputation, especially not with the neighbors watching. But they did. He slept in a cot in the cupboard under the stairs in dirty nappies. He was surrounded by dust, spiders, and the dark. They didn’t love him and made no pretense to.”

“How long have you known?”

“A while. But I couldn’t care for him and hunt for Peter. And I knew you were busy with Greyback and his pack so I couldn’t ask you either. Besides. Dumbledore said he would take care of it. Said it might be best for him. So I let him try, but nothing changed.”

“I wouldn’t have had the energy on my own, either. There’s only one thing, though. You’ve never been good with kids. You’ve never been able to really deal with them, nor do you even know where to start. I know you’re Harry’s Godfather, but I can’t let you keep him.”

Sirius’ face went from crushed to furious faster than you could say Merlin’s beard. “Now, see here, Moony-.”

“So you’ll just have to stay here for a while. We can take turns taking care of him. I’m not going to let you raise him by yourself. You’ll spoil the child and teach him terrible manners.”

“Would not!”

Raising his eyebrow, he turned into the house, leaving the door open to a gaping Sirius. After a moment, he entered and closed the door, finding Remus already asleep with Harry in his arms. The child had stopped crying, though he was about to fall out of Remus’ sleep-laden arms. “And _I_ need _your_ help.” Sirius chuckled as he strode over, picked up the boy, and settled into a chair, calming him until they both fell asleep.

 

oOoOoOo

 

Remus woke to the cries of a hungry Harry. Jumping from the sound, he immediately sat back down, recovering from the headrush. Looking up, he saw a snoring Padfoot on the floor, curled up fast asleep around the young boy. Patting the mut on the head, Remus picked Harry up and went over to the kitchen. Opening the fridge he froze with a sudden and simple realization: he had no food. Not one scrap. No milk, eggs, bread. No candy, sugar, chocolate. Not even flour. Nothing. After a moment’s thought, he returned to the living room to wake the dog.

“Sirius. Sirius, wake up.” He slept on like the rock he always had been. Sighing, Remus pulled out his wand. “ _Aguamenti_.” A stream of water poured out of the wand and into Sirius’ ear. Yelping, the dog shook his head, transforming as he went.

“Seriously, Remus? What was that for? I was dreaming about quidditch and butterbeer. It was a good dream! I was about to get a free round-”

“I’m out of food.”

“What?”

“I’m out of food.”

“Yeah, I heard you. How can you be out of food?”

“I have nothing. Seriously. No food. I haven’t been eating here for a month now, coming back once a week to sleep and to keep my muggle neighbors from being too suspicious.”

“So, let’s go get some.”

“I don’t know where to go, let alone where to take a child. A baby.”

“Moony. Seriously. You’re hopeless. The grocery store. Come on.”

It was a rocky start. Neither marauder knew quite what they were doing. What to feed a baby and how, how to teach one to walk, talk, read. Manners were out the window from the get go. Bathing was an adventure, and one that Lily surely would have pummeled both of them over. Clothes were forgotten for a time and Harry ended up wearing the same outfit for a couple of months until one day his onesie wouldn’t stay buttoned and the two were forced to go shopping. This ended with two outfits they could hardly afford: jeans, a t-shirt, boots, a leather jacket, and  pants, practical shoes and a sweater. And so began a very eventful, though loving, childhood of the Boy Who Lived.

 

oOoOoOo


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by ChipOfftheOldSoul

Regulus admired his reflection in the long mirror, appreciating Kreacher’s work before nodding to the bowing house elf. “Thank you, Kreacher,” he said. “I’ll be home late, if at all. Perhaps I’ll stay the night.”

“Yes, Master Regulus,” the old elf croaked. Regulus glanced at the mirror a last time before sweeping out of the room and down to the front parlor where the fire was already burning, working to warm the old house that had never been properly insulated against the approaching winter. He rarely used the floo, having few acquaintances who would be comfortable allowing an former-Death Eater access to their home, but this was an exception--family, in fact. The glittering green powder tossed, he stepped into the heatless green flames and announced, “Malfoy Manor,” before Grimmauld Place spun out of view.

The room he stepped into was quiet, though activity could be heard just on the other side of the doors. It was a small room, just as tastefully decorated as the rest of the manor was. His cousin would not allow anything less than exquisite into her home. “Master Black,” a small, waiting house elf squeaked. “I am to bring you to Madam, sir.”

“Thank you…” The elf looked surprised that a guest would want his name and cringed away from the attention.

“Dobby, sir,” he said.

“Thank you, Dobby. Please take me to my cousin.” Dobby nodded and padded away, holding the large door open for the guest. Regulus was led to the already lavish ballroom that had been extravagantly decorated for the party. Narcissa was overseeing the elves’ final touches to the shining ballroom before they would disappear to the kitchens for the evening. “Cousin,” Regulus said as he approached. Narcissa, radient as she had ever been, turned to him with an elegant and practiced smile. Regulus knew that smile would adorn her all evening. With her hair artfully twisted on her head like it was, she looked every inch a queen. Regulus leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek.

“Regulus, I’m pleased you could make it. It has been too long.” Regulus nodded in false agreement. It had been three Christmases since he had visited the manor and in his opinion, it hadn’t been long enough. He cared for his cousin well enough, but there was also Lucius to consider. Regulus had no patience for the man who used his wife’s inheritance to elevate his own societal and political standing and then had lost so much of it by supporting the Dark Lord as openly as he had. Of course, the man had claimed Imperius the moment the Dark Lord had disappeared--many had--and with his large donations to the Ministry and war relief associations, his sins had been forgotten, at least by those he pretended to support. Narcissa’s Halloween balls helped her husband’s image more than a little as well. After all, how could a person whose home shined so brightly have a such a dark past?

“You’ll have to forgive me, it has been a busy time.”

“Of course.” Her nod was genteel, her smile serene, all of it as true as gold from a leprechaun. They made idle chatter for a while. Lucius’ investments were going well. How fortunate for him--Regulus’ were as well. Regulus was working on a shielding potion, could he perhaps peruse the Malfoy library for an old tome that had proved difficult to find? Fudge truly had no idea how to run a country, did he? Of course the minister would honor their gala with his presence that evening. Halfway through her explanation of the rose garden’s improvements, Regulus was startled to see her smile lift and her eyes light. He turned to see what had caught her eye that could have such an effect on her.

It was a child. A small, blond child that was trying to order the house elves to give him some of the sweets intended for the party. Regulus assumed this was her son who had been only a squalling infant last time he had visited. “Draco,” Narcissa called and boy left the flustered elf to run to his mother.

“Mother, Dinky won’t give me any cakes,” the boy moaned. The petulant tone irked on Regulus’ nerves, but Narcissa only smiled indulgently.

“It nearly time for supper, Draco. You may have some after. Now greet your cousin, please.” Draco turned to Regulus and bowed low, already a little gentleman.

“Hello, Cousin Regulus,” he said. Sweet Merlin, the boy had a lisp. Of course, Regulus ignored the imperfection.

“Good evening, Draco,” Regulus gave an abbreviated bow. He was not surprised that the boy had recognized him. Regulus and his brother Sirius had been shown portraits of all notable relatives, both living and dead, and could recognize generations of Blacks by the time they were Draco’s age. It would be impolite otherwise. This boy did have an advantage though; he had very few living extended relations. Lucius was an only child, Andromeda and Sirius had both been disowned and Bellatrix would spend the rest of her days in Azkaban. The unmentionable circumstances did make things quite easy for the child.

“Go dress for supper, Draco dear,” Narcissa said and the boy nodded, bowing quickly to both of them before hurrying off, carefully snagging a candied strawberry from a passing elf’s tray.

“Your son is growing well,” Regulus said politely. He had little patience for children and even less liking for them, but women of his acquaintance always seemed to enjoy gushing over their offspring. As expected, Narcissa, smile still true, launched into a report of all Draco had been doing both recreationally and in his studies. According to his tutor, he would be a strong wizard someday--his latest bout of accidental magic had set said tutor’s pointed hat to playing a game of hide and seek. Regulus’ lips twitched at that. He remembered Sirius doing something similar to their tutor’s hard-heeled shoes back when they were young.

Finally, her raptures were cut short by the announcement of supper. The cousins reached the dining room first and Draco ran in a moment later. The young boy switched to a more sedate pace when he caught his mother’s raised eyebrow and was rewarded with her smile. “Mother,” the boy said, joining them at the table where they still waited for the head of the home. “The Falmouth Falcons are playing the Kenmare Kestrals next week. Can we go? Please? Puh-leeese?” The child’s cheeks were flushed and his eyes bright. Regulus chuckled at Draco’s enthusiasm. It seemed they finally had something in common.

“Draco, Malfoy’s do not beg like dogs.” All eyes turned to the patriarch as he took his seat at the head of the table. Lucius Malfoy watched his son sternly and Draco ducked his head.

“Yes, Father,” the boy said. Regulus subtly gauged the differences between the boy who had just run in and the one who eyed the empty plate in front of him. There was an expression on the boy’s face now that tugged at a memory Regulus couldn’t quite find. It made no sense to Regulus; he had not seen the child since it was an infant. Mentally shaking himself, he ignored such nonsense and sipped his wine.

Dinner was served and Lucius pulled Regulus into a conversation on politics and work. Narcissa would offer her occasional input, but the child was ignored. It was not unusual in the homes of aristocracy for children to be silent at the dinner table--children were to be seen, not heard--but there was tension in the way Lucius hardly looked towards his son that clearly said this was a punishment. Regulus noted the number of times Draco glanced from his food to the door. He never looked elsewhere, not even at his mother.

When dessert was finished, an elf was called to put Draco to bed before the party. The boy received a kiss from his mother, a handshake from his cousin and a stiff nod from his father before he hurried from the room.

The gala was, as expected, perfect. Society would be talking about it for months, at least until the Malfoys’ Christmas Ball. Regulus spoke to Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, Ludo Bagman, one of the Wasps’ current beaters, and was flirted with heavily by Celeste Warbeck, an up-and-coming singer with a range sure to break glass. A few select reporters and photographers fluttered around the edges of the ballroom hoping to lift their rags up to some respectability.

But for all the glitz and shine, Regulus noticed several stains in attendance. Gideon Goyle and Greyson McAvoy were sharing drinks at one table while their wives gossipped. Randall Jugson was waltzing with a very pretty young lady, the recent widow of Alessio Zambini. Regulus preferred to avoid them all, but it was inevitable that they would each seek him out. Their brother-in-arms who had gone missing as a teenager only to pop back into society a month after the fall of their Lord. The new Lord Black who had avoided the spotlight over the past years. Regulus was grateful when it was finally late enough to gracefully accept Narcissa’s invitation to stay the night and follow Dobby to a ready-made guestroom.

 

oOoOoOo

 

Breakfast was a quiet affair and afterwards, Regulus was grateful to be returning to his own home. “Draco, get the floo powder, please,” Narcissa said and the boy hurried towards the hearth where an elegant pot sat on the mantle. “Well, Cousin, I do hope you won’t wait another three years to visit.”

“You must come to the Christmas Ball, at least,” Lucius agreed with his wife. “It is so good to have old friends nearby.” Regulus refrained from grimacing at the pool of people Lucius would consider ‘old friends’.

“Yes, of course,” Regulus said. “I will--”

A loud crash rang through the suddenly silent room and all eyes turned to where Draco stood next to a pile of green powder and shattered porcelain. Draco himself stood frozen, his wide eyes fixed on the air in front of him rather than any of the adults. The stillness lasted a quarter of a minute before Lucius started forward and Draco flinched backwards.

“That was clumsy, Draco and Malfoys are not--” Regulus, without thinking about it, intercepted Lucius, putting a restraining hand on the rising walking stick.

“There is no need for a fuss,” he said coolly. “It was nothing that a simple _Reparo_ can’t fix.” He drew his own wand and performed the spell quickly then levitated the floo powder and poured it back into the restored pot. “There, all sorted.” Lucius eyed Regulus carefully before yanking his walking stick away and taking a step back.

“Of course,” he said. “Thank you for your assistance.” Regulus inclined his head carefully. With Lucius fully disengaged, Regulus turned to Narcissa who’s eyes were open wide and he leaned forward to kiss her cheek. Unlike their greeting the previous evening, Narcissa pulled him into an embrace.

“Thank you,” she whispered, low enough that her husband would not hear. Regulus nodded and withdrew. Finally, he turned to the last Malfoy who was watching, something like shock on the boy's face. Regulus knelt down next to him and extended a hand.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Draco,” Regulus said. Draco nodded dumbly before finding his voice.  
“Yes, th-thank you, Cousin Regulus.” They shook hands and then, with a pat on the blond boy’s head, Regulus flooed home, decision made and work to do.

 

oOoOoOo

 

_My Dear Cousin Narcissa,_

_Thank you for having me to your home this past week. It was an exquisite party and I enjoyed myself greatly. I enjoyed meeting Draco as well. He will make you and Lucius both proud, I believe. It seems Draco and I share a love of Quidditch as well. I was wondering if I might take him to match next week, Falmouth Falcons vs. Kenmare Kestrals as it were. I do have season tickets. If you are agreeable, I will pick Draco up on Tuesday at noon and return him that evening._

_I await your return owl._

_With Regard,_

_Lord Regulus Arcturus Black_

 

As he had expected, Narcissa had promptly answered that Draco would love to join Regulus for the Quidditch match and that they would be ready for his arrival at the stated time. After receiving her agreement, Regulus made a large withdrawal from Gringotts, larger than any he had ever made before. He wasn't sure how long it would need to last. He packed a trunk with robes, books, and potion ingredients, then shrunk it all down to fit comfortably in his pocket. Whatever Draco would need would have to be bought later.

He flooed to Malfoy Manor and found Draco waiting for him in the receiving room this time. “Cousin Regulus!” the boy jumped up and rushed forward, stopping just short of hugging the man. “Mother says we're going to watch Quidditch!” Regulus smiled at the kid's enthusiasm.

“Only if you'd like to, of course,” Regulus teased.

“Yes, please! I want to go!” Narcissa and Lucius walked in then. Narcissa’s eyes were pinched on the corners. Lucius’ lips were thin. Draco stepped closer to Regulus.

“Hello, Cousin. Lucius.” Regulus said. “I do hope you don't mind me borrowing Draco for the day. It's been awhile since I've had someone to enjoy a Quidditch match with.”

“Of course,” Lucius said. “I hope the boy won't give you any trouble. If he does, please let me know.” Regulus glanced down to where Draco was staring at the ground, but standing perfectly still as if trying to avoid attention. That was all the assurance Regulus needed.

“I'm sure there is no need to worry,” Regulus said and dropped a hand on Draco’s shoulder. “Shall we get going, Draco? We don’t want to be late. Give your mother a kiss. I'll bring him back in the morning,” he added to Narcissa, bringing an empty spool out of his pocket and motioning to Draco. “Ready?” Draco reached for the spool and Regulus tapped it with his wand, activating the portkey and sending them both off.

The walk to Regulus’ box was spent listening to the child list off the statistics of every player that would be flying today. He was shocked at the child’s knowledge. Most four-year-olds could barely understand the rules of Quidditch, much less the athletes’ individual achievements. During the game, the child cheered as loudly as any other fan. He had no particular bias for either team, he simply loved the game and Regulus felt a seed of affection sprout for the child. Draco said quite seriously that the Tutshill Tornadoes were the superior team, then blushed and asked Regulus not to tell his father. “He doesn’t like them because they weren’t very good last season, but I think they’ll do better now that they got Edward Flippings.” Regulus arched a brow--Edward Flippings was a muggleborn and Regulus wondered if Draco knew that--but promised there was no need for Lucius to know.

After the Kestral’s victory, Regulus took Draco into the nearby town. Falmouth was a muggle city, but there were sections like Diagon Alley hidden from the view of muggles. They visited several shops, including a Quidditch equipment shop where Draco stared longingly at the Nimbus 500. “Father took away my broomstick,” the boy confessed, though he gave no explanation as to why. Regulus bought them each a snitch and as they walked through the streets, he showed Draco the key to catching the little gold ball. They only put them away when Regulus had to pull the boy out of the way of an oncoming car.

They stopped for supper in a small restaurant and though Regulus had hoped the excitement of the day would begin to wear on the boy, he was still exuberant as he recalled, in detail, the formation that had allowed the Kestrals to break through the Falcon’s defenses. The night had grown late before Draco started to yawn and his eyelids grew heavy. “Draco,” Regulus said as he helped the child stand. “We are going to go visit someone. We might stay there for a while. Is that alright?” Draco mumbled something unintelligible, but nodded and Regulus took that as everything he needed. When Draco stumbled, Regulus lifted the child up into his arms.

“No, Malfoys are strong enough to walk themselves,” Draco mumbled when Regulus lifted the little boy into his arms. “Father says...he says…” Draco lost his words on a yawn.

“Your father never need know,” Regulus said, but Draco was already asleep. Regulus sighed. He wasn’t sure he was ready to do what he was about to do, but he didn’t know who else to turn to. Holding the child securely, Regulus turned on his heel and popped from Falmouth to Ilkley.

They landed on a street corner next to a row of houses. It was a muggle street and Regulus was grateful for the darkness and emptiness of the place. He checked that Draco was still asleep then unconsciously stroked the child’s fine hair. His footsteps echoed. Finally, they stopped in front of a brightly lit home. Regulus sighing before he swung the waist-high gate open and made his way up the path. Nervously petting Draco’s head again, he knocked and waited for an answer.

“Sirius get that, would you?” a harassed sounding voice called and an answering grumble sounded from very near the door. Regulus held Draco tighter.

Light poured from the house when the door swung open and Regulus stared at the man frozen in the doorway. The man appeared to be choking. “Regulus?” he finally got out.

“Hello, Sirius.”

“Reg, what are you doing here? Why--”

“Sirius, I kidnapped a child.” Regulus had meant to go about this much more smoothly, but as usual, Sirius broke his plans. To Regulus’ surprise though, his brother stared at them for a moment before tossing his head back, his barking laugh loud enough to make Draco stir in his sleep.

“Brilliant, welcome to the club,” Sirius said when his laughter had subsided and it was Regulus’ turn to stare at his brother.

“Er, what?”

“What did you think we got Harry _legally_?”

Regulus wasn’t sure how to respond. Got Harry? He was sure he had seen some Ministry release a few days after the Dark Lord’s fall that said Harry Potter had been entrusted to muggle relatives where he would be safe and protected. While the Potters had taken Sirius in when he had run out, had even treated him like their own son, surely the Ministry didn’t consider Sirius a relative? And nothing since then had shown a change of custody of the Boy-Who-Lived, Reg was sure he would have noticed if it had. Nevertheless, a small child Draco’s age suddenly shrieked down the stairs, completely nude and slipping on the hardwood floor. He was chased by a lanky, worn looking man Regulus realized was Lupin, Sirius’ friend from Hogwarts. He looked tired and more than a little frustrated as he tried to catch the black, mop haired little boy in a fluffy towel. “Please, Harry,” there was just a hint of begging in his voice. With all the noise, Draco began to perk up and lifted bleary eyes first to the scene in the living room, then to Sirius, then to Regulus. Uncertain of how to answer the boy’s expression of confusion, Regulus looked to his brother.

“Would you be so kind as to let us in?” he asked. Sirius looked steadily at the man on his doorstep, a man he had not seen in almost a decade now, then at the little boy in his arms. His expression turned pensive. Looking back at the scene behind him, he smirked and waved a lazy hand. “Sure, why not,” he said. “We’re just getting Harry ready for bed. Tell me you brought the kid’s pajamas with you.” Regulus shook his head. “No? Well, I’m sure we can find something for him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the tumblr post this is based off.  
> http://marauders4evr.tumblr.com/post/131779930027/sirius-i-kidnapped-a-child-brilliant


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by Amalthea_Oberon

An hour later, the kids put to bed, Remus stood with arms folded across the room from Regulus. The younger of the two brothers stood awkward, unsure of where to look or what to do. Sirius came in with glasses and a bottle of firewhisky, patiently poured, took a seat, and with a serious expression Remus had rarely seen on his friend’s usually mirthful face, looked Regulus square in the eye, saying nothing.

In the silence that followed, Remus had a worrying thought. “Regulus. How did you find us?”

“In a way witches and wizards would never rely on: through a… private investigator, I believed they’re called. A muggle detective hired by individuals for private purpose. I thought it best not to get the Ministry involved.”

Sirius, having found his voice, spoke up. “That’s comforting to know they won’t be knocking on the door at any moment. And Reg, I am glad to see you’re alive and it’s not just reports from the Daily Prophet, but even so you have some explaining to do. As far as the Order is concerned, you disappeared. It left a lot of unanswered questions. So. What happened?”

Remus sighed, resigned to wait. While he knew it was important for Sirius to know what had caused his brother’s disappearance all those years ago, he thought the present situation of a second illegally attained child more important.

After a moment, Regulus began the long process of explaining the last decade. “I started to expect something was, well,  _ wrong _ when one disillusioned Death Eaters attempted the Killing Curse on the Dark Lord. It hit Voldemort square in the chest and while he stumbled and was drastically weakened for a time, even briefly disappearing, he did not die. So out of curiosity I started to look into the different ways of becoming immortal, the primary ways being through unicorn blood and a rarely mentioned spell, invented by Herpo the Foul in Ancient Greece, which created what is known as a Horcrux.

“I was still in my seventh year, and stuck even with my vast resources, I turned to the one professor who I thought would not only know about those things, but someone who I thought would give me what I needed without being overly suspiciously: old Professor Slughorn. With the help of a little veritaserum, he gave me all I needed.”

Regulus explained, to the best of his abilities, how a Horcrux is made and destroyed, and how many he thinks the Dark Lord had made. He paused to let the information sink in. Sirius’ horrified expression matched Remus’ own, but inadequately bespoke  the sick feeling Remus was sure they both felt. It was all he could do to not expel his dinner from his stomach.

Taking a breath, a sneer forming on his lips, Regulus continued, “The poor man was in so much pain and shock when he found out what young Tom Riddle-”

Remus interjected, “Who?”

“What the Dark Lord was called as a mortal - had done with the same information, that I offered to rewrite his memory for him. The man agreed, which in turn gave me the opportunity to erase my visit from his memory, making him believe he had altered it of his own accord.

“But I still had no clue as to what he might have used for the containers. Several months later upon unexpectedly returning to headquarters over the weekend, I overheard the Dark Lord privately telling Bellatrix how he used the Founder’s Relics to house something very dear to him: Slytherin, as he was the Heir, Ravenclaw, because he was cleverer than most, and Hufflepuff, because the chalice made him champion and ruler. He could never find the sword of Gryffindor, however, so he had to make due with three of the four. He was particularly proud of the sacrifice for Slytherin’s locket as she was, as he described, ‘muggle trash belittled by her own kind, used and disposed of on a man’s whim and paid for only out of lust and pity.’”

This last comment made the three men fall silent in anger and disgust. Remus couldn’t help but think of those in the neighborhood with whom he had become acquainted, even friends. They were anything but trash. And while there are always those in society who are looked down upon, very few deserved the title of “trash” let alone “trash of trash.”

Regulus launched into the details of his preparation for finding and killing a Horcrux. He had loaned his house elf, Kreacher, to the Dark Lord as a favor. When they returned, Kreacher told Regulus all that had happened.

Regulus paused, lost in thought, and Remus couldn’t help but sit on the edge of his seat, waiting for the rest. If nothing else, Regulus was an amazing story teller. With the pomp and poise of the Black family behind him, the upbringing of (essentially) royalty, and a flair all his own, Regulus had a way with words that was seldom matched by others, even his own brother.

After a moment, Regulus continued, recounting how he matched the place to the description Voldemort so carelessly tossed aside in his revelry witnessed only by, as the Dark Lord assumed, Bellatrix. Having gotten the information on how to destroy the terrible thing from Professor Slughorn, he set off with Kreacher by his side. The cave, the lake, the boat, the island. The price to be paid, the potion to be drunk, the locket to be switched. Upon command, Kreacher apparated with a  _ pop _ , leaving his master behind. Unexpectedly, the house elf returned to save the young master from pain and certain death. The grumpy old servant fought off the infiri and took young Regulus into hiding, nursing him back to health as the Dark Lord’s power grew and then vanished.

Regulus had quietly bided his time until the news came of his cousins’ trials and convictions, and with the death of his parents, the Black Fortune was left without an heir about to be shipped off--including the poor house elf whom Regulus had grown quite fond of--to who knows where. It is then that he stepped forward and took charge, publicly disavowing himself of the Death Eaters and coming back into the presence of the living.

The two marauders sat there, silently taking it all in. One question popped to the forefront of Remus’ mind. “How much does Dumbledore know?”

Remus saw Regulus hesitate, then reluctantly he answered, “All of it. I’ve told him everything - about the Horcruxes, that is - though I never told him that I got and replaced the locket. I was too busy recovering and too intent on hiding to exchange any correspondences with the head of the Order.”

Remus started as Sirius jumped to his feet pointing an accusing finger at his younger brother. “Why did you never tell me? Why didn’t you get me involved, have me help stop him, give you intell. Something?”

“Would you have believed me, Sirius? Me, Death Eater at the age of 16, asks for help from you, a member of the Order. Yes, we’re  _ technically _ siblings, but you made it very clear that you wanted nothing to do with the Blacks. You had made yourself into a Potter, for all intents and purposes, and there was no reasoning with you. There never was.”

Remus watched from the sidelines as the two brothers sized each other up. It was like watching a cat and dog decide what the best way to proceed was: attack and fight, or slowly back down and run?

Sirius spoke first. “Fine. Whatever. But why didn’t you at least tell me you were alive afterward? I might not have agreed with your choices, but you were still my brother. I still grieved and mourned for you.”

“Would you have believed it? Believed it without seeing proof or evidence? Believed it without me showing up on your front door, like I’ve done? Or announcing it to the Press like I’ve done? Even that you barely swallowed.”

The room fell tensely silent as the two brothers stared, each silently daring the other to object. After a long while, Sirius conceded. “No. Perhaps not.”

“It pained me just as much as it pained you, Sirius. But I had to keep up pretenses. I needed everyone to believe me dead, and that included you. And I couldn’t get too friendly afterwards either because I still needed my in with  _ his _ crowd in case, as Dumbledore believes, the Dark Lord returns. An in which, unfortunately, I might lose soon.”

The three men stood silently eyeing each other. After a time, when the shadows seemed to have moved, Remus spoke up. “How did you get Draco, anyway? More importantly, why?”

Remus watched Regulus closely as he explained what he had seen: a level of abuse similar to, but not yet as extensive as, what he and Sirius had experienced from their own parents. Regulus refused to leave a child in that kind of home situation and took action. So he brought Draco to the Quidditch game that night and then came here.

“Reg. How are you  _ not _ going to get caught? Did you think this through? Beyond just taking the child?”

“It’s not like you did much more, Sirius.” Remus reminded his friend. “You showed up on my door in much the same way.”

“That’s true, but I took Harry from his muggle family - family who couldn’t care less if Harry disappeared overnight. It would just be one of his magic tricks, and good riddance. But that’s not the case here. The Malfoys have power and influence and will use them to search for their son. They’ll get the ministry involved. And before we know it, we’ll have the Department of Magical Child Protective Services knocking on our door and not only will Draco be returned to his parents, but Harry to his family as well. So. What are we going to do?”

All eyes turned to Regulus, assuming he had a plan. Remus sighed and sat heavily as Regulus stood dumbfounded. “You think I have a plan? That’s why I came to  _ you _ . The two people who could plan anything and get away with it.”

While Remus was usually the one to get him and his friends out of trouble at Hogwarts, this was on a completely different level. “The stakes are much higher this time, the consequences more severe, and the backdoors and loopholes all but nonexistent.”

“We need to tell Narcissa something. I could see it in her eyes when I last visited. She disapproved of Lucius’ actions almost as much as I did, though was too intimidated to act. Besides. I want her involved in Draco’s life. He needs to know his mother.”

This was more shocking to Remus than almost anything else he had heard. “And you suppose Lucius will just let this go? Or that Narcissa will be able to keep this from him? Just how naive are you?”

Regulus’ shoulders stiffened and Remus realized he had struck a chord. But the statement still stood: to think Lucius would never find out was, quite simply, naive. There was no other way to put it.

“Naive as you may see it,” he paused, eyeing Remus, “I find it necessary. And that’s why I’m talking to you about it. It’s not like I have anyone else who can give me advice on the subject. Though apparently you’re no experts either, having never even left a note to Harry’s family instead whisking the child away on a whim.”

Sirius chimed in, “Oh, I left a note.”

“You did?” Remus had never heard this part. In fact he had been too tired and confused when Sirius had shown up on his door in the middle of the night to even ask. “What did it say?”

“ _ The Ministry of Magic has decided to retrieve Harry Potter and give him to his Godfather, Sirius Black, to raise. This is not up for debate. _ ”

“...and that worked?” Regulus seemed all too unconvinced.

“They’re muggles. And bloody dumb and prideful ones at that. At the very least they never came looking. They’re too scared of magic and those who use it to try. Nor did they really care. And they couldn’t ruin their precious reputation looking for a child toward whom they had absolutely no feelings.”

Remus could only stare at his best friend. Though it wasn’t exactly surprising that Sirius had gotten away with such an act - he did always have luck in getting away with whatever he wanted - it was nevertheless rather ridiculous.

Regulus seemingly was on a similar train of thought, though a raised eyebrow was the only reaction his Black upbringing would allow. “Unfortunately, we’re not dealing with someone nearly as dimwitted as the Dursleys. We need something more thought through.”

The three looked at each other in silence each trying to come up with a solution

After a minute, Remus spoke up, “Well, we need a way to convince the Ministry we did send Draco back, a traceable , non-specific way - the Floo Network. They can tell when something is sent, and roughly how large, but not what. Sending a gift, an heirloom maybe, would not only be proper among higher circles and related wizarding families, but it would also be a way of tricking the Ministry.”

“How do I let Narcissa know Draco is safe?”

“Send a letter by owl. Anonymously.”

Sirius, always one to perk up at the mention of tricking others, especially those in power, laughed, a grin spreading over his face. Accustomed to what was to follow, Remus groaned and waited for the older brother to make his absurd suggestion so that he might try to stamp it out, regulating the ridiculousness as he had back in school.

“Polyjuice into a black man and send the letter from the Owl Post. Great pun and no one will be able to peg you.”

Before Remus could say one word, Regulus burst into laughter, sitting heavily in the chair behind him. The two Blacks were overcome to the point of  tears and after a moment Remus couldn’t help but to - reluctantly - join in. Realizing how hopeless the brothers really were , especially together, the werewolf tried to think of something else, but to no avail.

The night continued in laughter and high spirits peppered with the seriousness of the occasion. It was eventually decided that something would be sent through the Floo with a letter for Narcissa so that she would know what was going on, and they would get her involved in Draco’s life on their terms. Remus, however, shot down sending the letter under the guise of a terribly racist polyjuice pun. Regulus, as hopeless as Sirius, eventually agreed, though was much less verbal about how much of “a stick in the mud” Remus was.

Eventually, when the moon was low and the eastern sky had the slightest hint of the coming morning, the three men went to bed, Regulus regulated to the couch for now, each of them thinking over the events of the night and that coming day. Remus was sure that there was nothing but trouble ahead.  _ But then again. I am a Marauder. Trouble is all we deal with. We can handle it. We have to. Somehow. _

And with that, the man fell asleep, only to be woken up an hour later by two crying children. Which woke up first, they would never know. But it was the first of many increasingly adventurous nights. The son of James Potter, head of their little high school gang, and Draco Malfoy, heir the most influential wizarding family in all of England, only helped in egging each other on, making for never a boring moment in the now-full household.

  
oOoOoOo


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by ChipOfftheOldSoul.

After attempting to settle three disputes between Draco and Harry and four disputes between Draco and Sirius within the space of two hours, Regulus was more than relieved to be sent back to Grimmauld Place to begin their plan.

Dismissing a bowing Kreacher back to the kitchens, Regulus mounted the many, many stairs of the house, going for the first time in years all the way up to the dark, dusty attic. Sorting through the many old crates and boxes took far longer than he would have liked, but he finally found an acceptable item and with several quick charms and a carefully worded note, the roughly-Draco sized package was sent through the floo to Malfoy Manor. Task complete, he leaned back in his comfortable desk chair and closed his eyes. Sirius and Lupin would expect him back quickly, but Regulus carefully ignored that fact and instead pushed himself out of his chair to walk through his home.

Grimmauld Place had never been a welcoming house during his childhood. It had been lavishly decorated and impeccably maintained, but always soulless. The house was a direct reflection of its master and mistress and it came as no surprise that Sirius ran away from such an environment. However, after his parents’ deaths and his inheritance of the estate, Regulus had set out to make it a home where he could comfortably continue his convalescence. Needing to please no one but himself, he had converted the entire place from basement to roof. It had become his pet project, keeping him busy for the many months during which he had no desire, nor any particular need, to socialize with those who  wished to align themselves with the new Lord Black.

The stuffed heads of deceased elves had been given to Kreacher to do with as he saw fit. The copious cursed objects had been removed from the living areas and banished to a dark corner of the attic or, in the case of a few especially dangerous items, sent to the Black vault at Gringotts. The portraits had been sorted through, the ruder ancestors sent to the attic for their gossiping and his mother’s removed from the house entirely when she would not desist in insulting Regulus for his actions.  The guest rooms had each been redecorated so that if he ever found anyone worth inviting into his home, they would be comfortable and welcomed rather than discouraged from returning to bare accommodations. The library had been reorganized, keeping books of darker magic well out of the reach of any foolish soul. In the end, the only room not  touched was Sirius’, still adorned with his adolescent rebellion. Though he would never admit it, Regulus had been disappointed his brother had never returned to redecorate that room himself, .

This house had become his haven over the last several years and he was reluctant to be leaving it for the foreseeable future. But it could not be avoided. Sirius and Lupin were better experienced with parenting than Regulus had expected them to be and likely far more talented with it than he himself could ever hope to be. He had considered simply entrusting Draco to them and paying for the boy’s care, but he rejected the idea as soon as it had entered his mind. To be taken from his home was bad enough, but to leave him with only a bunch of overly enthusiastic idiots? Even he could not find it within himself to be that careless and cruel to his own kin.

He had tried to persuade the other two men to move into Grimmauld Place with him--there was more than enough room and it was of far better quality than their little house--but neither would consider it. They refused to uproot Harry or to put the children in a home that could be so easily traced by the Ministry and Dumbledore. Also, though he had said nothing yet, there was a tension around Sirius’ mouth when he spoke of Grimmauld that told Regulus plainly that Sirius would never willingly return to the childhood home that held such painful memories for him.

For now, it was agreed that all five would stay in Sirius and Lupin’s home, though Regulus silently assured himself that as soon as he had the time spare, the little shack would be given several necessary upgrades, not the least of which was his own bedroom.

Reluctantly, Regulus called for Kreacher, left the elf with instructions to maintain the house in his absence and returned to the poorly paved street in Ilkley to help Lupin gather the two little boys and one poorly behaved brother.

 

oOoOoOo

 

“You’re certain only Narcissa is coming?” Sirius asked, shivering a bit in the brisk fall breeze.

Regulus suppressed a sigh and kept his tone even. “For the last time, Sirius, yes. The portkey will not work for anyone except Narcissa and will alert me if she tries to break the rules by bringing anyone.” Sirius huffed, but said nothing and Regulus watched him for several more minutes before snapping. “For Merlin’s sake, stop pacing!” Sirius glared at him petulantly.

“It’s cold,” he said. Regulus ignored him and the two went back to waiting. For the next quarter hour, Sirius twitched, paced, and made small noises of impatience while Regulus grew tense, leaning against one of the trees around the small clearing. Checking his muggle wrist watch yet again, Sirius announced, “Any second now, she’ll--”

A _SNAP_ interrupted him and Narcissa Malfoy landed in the clearing, clutching with one hand to a tall, ancient vase that had once belonged to Sirius Black I and a short letter crumpled tightly in the other. _“Draco,”_ she demanded before anything else. “Where is my Draco?”

“He’s safe,” Regulus stepped forward before Sirius could ruin their plans with his careless mouth. “We’ll take you to him after we talk.” Narcissa stilled, and with  eyes closed, gathered herself until the distraught mother was replaced with the familiar porcelain heiress they had known their whole lives long.

“You I could have expected this of, Sirius,” she said, “but how on earth did you get Regulus to go along with your blackmail?”

“Actually, Cissy dear, Reggie is the one who brought this to us.” Sirius’ smile was predatory, meant to antagonize, and Regulus only hoped Narcissa would not rise to it.

“Narcissa,” he said, calling attention back to himself. “You know better than anyone that Lucius’ behavior toward Draco makes him an unfit parent and from what I saw, you were either unable or unwilling to stop him.” The glare his cousin turned on him was glacial.

“Are you calling me an unfit mother?” she hissed. Regulus thought quickly because Narcissa’s wand would make its appearance with precious little more provocation and though she might not be as liberal with Forgivables as Bellatrix was, Narcissa’s Cruciatus was at least as vicious.

“Hmm.  I suppose you could say I am giving you the chance to prove that you _are_ fit to be Draco’s mother.”

Her posture was nearly perfect; spine straight, chin up, hands clasped and hanging loosely in front of her. So perhaps it was the subtle trembling of the letter still held in one hand, or the way her usually perfectly coiffed hair hung loose down her back, or something in her eyes, but the brothers could tell without her having to say the words that she would do whatever was necessary to be the mother Draco needed.

And that was just perfect.

 

oOoOoOo

 

Assignments given and Narcissa having sworn to complete them within the week, the three began the short walk through the wooded area towards the clearing where the boys were playing under Remus’ supervision. As they got closer, they could hear their happy shrieks. The boys had finally stopped bickering for the time being and it was no surprise, Regulus supposed--they had found a common interest in Quidditch. Remus had apparently allowed the boys to play with Draco’s new snitch in the warded area.

Sirius’ expression broke into a grin and he jogged forward to join the boys, lifting Harry and spinning him around while Draco dove for the snitch. “Mother!” Draco called when he saw her. He ran toward them waving the still frantically flapping snitch in his chubby hand. “Look, Mother, I caught it just like Cousin Regulus taught me!” Regulus heard her catch her breath.

“Excellently done,” she approved and pulled Draco tightly into her arms. Draco whined until he could squirm himself from the too tight embrace. “I’m sorry, my love,” she said, a sadness in her smile, and pulled away to look at him. Her brow arched. “You’re all dirty.” Draco blushed and began scrubbing at his cheek, about an inch to the left of the largest smear.

“Er, yeah, Harry and I were wrestling for the snitch. Remus said he would clean us up when we went home.” Draco didn’t notice his mother tense at the word ‘home’.

“Harry?” she asked and Draco pointed to the tan, dark haired boy sitting on Sirius’ hip nearby where they stood with Remus, all staring at the two Malfoys. “That can’t be--?” Narcissa turned to Regulus for confirmation and he nodded the two men over.

“Narcissa, this is Remus Lupin and Harry Potter. Harry, this is my cousin, Narcissa. She is Draco’s mother.” Harry considered the woman seriously, his little brow scrunched up in concentration before announcing, “Draco is not very nice.”

All the adults froze for a moment before the silence was broken by Sirius’ barking laughter. Lupin was failing to hide a smile behind his fingers and even Regulus’ mouth twitched up into a small smile. Draco was frowning at the other boy with an expression of betrayal. “Well,” Narcissa finally said, standing and still holding Draco’s hand. Regulus tensed, ready to grab her if she tried to apparate away with the child. However, she continued to speak to Harry. “Not being a nice person does not necessarily stop one from being a _good_ person, now does it, Mr. Potter?” Face still scrunched, Harry looked from Narcissa to Draco and back again.

“I guess,” he said. Wriggling from Sirius’ hip back to the ground, he began running towards where the boys had been playing before. “Hey, Draco, I’ll bet you a chocolate frog I get the snitch this time!” Draco set off after him, releasing the snitch as they went.

Without the barrier of two little boys, Sirius and Lupin returned their attention to Narcissa, each full of blatant distrust, but she remained impressively poised under the pointed stares. “Lupin,” she nodded.

“Mrs. Malfoy,” he returned. She looked him up and down with distaste.

“I assume your...condition will not affect my son in any way.”

“Of course not,” Remus sighed with tired patience. “I would never allow either of the boys to be put in danger because of me.” Narcissa sniffed and with a shrug, Remus and Sirius wandered away to separate the boys from another petty disagreement.

Regulus and Narcissa stayed silent as they watched. It was several minutes before Narcissa spoke softly.

“I thought you would change your mind,” she murmured. Regulus looked at her in his peripheral, but did not otherwise react. “Your letter said you would let me see him, but I didn’t believe you. I thought you would take him away before I could get here.” It was a cruel thing to extend hope and then snatch it away, Regulus knew, but he did not chide her for her distrust. Many of their questionable acquaintances would consider such an act justifiable.

“But I did not.”

“No, you did not.” She turned to him. “Regulus, if I do what you are asking me to do, you must guarantee that I will be able to raise my son. As much as I can given the circumstances.” They had already made that promise, twice, but Regulus nodded again.

“Narcissa, I will allow any good influence into his life. It is your choice whether or not that includes you.” He held her gaze for another long moment, then turned back to the boys. Harry had finally caught the snitch and was lording it over a pouting Draco who demanded a rematch. He saw her nod firmly in his peripheral before walking toward the boys.

“Draco,” she called. “I am going now. But I will see you soon, my dragon, I promise.”

Pausing in their game, Draco looked up at her. “Alright, Mother. Will I be staying with Cousin Regulus and Sirius and Remus and Harry?”

“Yes, my love. For now...until the manor is safe again.” Draco nodded some confusion, but did not argue. Narcissa kissed her son’s forehead and stood to face Regulus, taking one of his hands and pressing something into it. “I will bring the documents to you by Sunday.”

“Meet us at Andi’s place,” Sirius interjected. “We alway go to hers for Sunday dinner around three.” Narcissa’s face went, if possible, paler at the mention of her estranged sister. However, if Sirius expected her to rescind her oath simply to avoid that confrontation, he was to be disappointed. She nodded firmly once more then disapparated out of sight.

As the five began walking back to the little house, Remus ahead with the boys having them help decide what would be for supper (“No, Harry, treacle tart does not count as a substantial meal,”), Sirius leaned over to his brother.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Cissy so emotional, not even when Andi left,” he said in a low voice the boys would not overhear. “What in Merlin’s name did you write to her?” Wordlessly, Regulus extended the letter she had left in his hand.

 

_‘My Dearest Cousin,_

_Draco is well. However, we have some matters that must be discussed. Do not notify the Ministry, these are family matters. Do not notify Lucius. As far as he is concerned, Draco returned to you at noon, as I promised, but has taken ill and the Healer has confined him to his room for the time being. Though I doubt he would, if Lucius attempts to visit him, stop him by any means necessary. If Lucius becomes involved, you will not see Draco again._

_Inside the crate is a portkey that will bring you to a meeting place of my choosing at exactly three o’clock this afternoon. If you do not come, I will assume you have no interest in your son and accordingly, I will make certain you never have access to him again. Come alone._

_With Regard,_

_R.A.B.’_

 

“Baby brother,” Sirius swore under his breath, “now you’re just being mean.”

Regulus watched the small blond boy ahead of him who was skipping down the sidewalk and teasing Remus along with Harry. He was smiling easier than Regulus had seen since first meeting him that Halloween evening.

“Am I?” he asked. “I find I don’t care.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by Amalthea_Oberon

Remus stood, rubbing both temples, in the living room of their small townhouse as the two brothers faced each other, neither of them budging an inch.

“It’s NOT a shack!”

“It might as well be, especially given what we could be living in.”

“I refuse to return to that hellhole, especially with two children in tow.”

“Like I have told you time and time again, it has been cleaned. Of everything even potentially dangerous. The awful portraits are in the attic, the horrid one of Mother has been removed entirely, the dark objects have all been cleared out and dealt with in various fashions as I saw fit, and the entire place has been redecorated so it is not as dark and dreary as it used to be.”

“That’s all fine and dandy, but we live  _ here _ ! And you don’t have to make Remus’ house your next project. We’re happy with the way it is!”

“It’s unfit for children!”

“We were doing just fine until you came along and tried to make everything ‘safe.’ What’s wrong with growing up with a little adventure in their lives?”

“It’s not adventure if they die in the process! You don’t need to harm them for the two boys to have fun.”

“We don’t need your charity!”

“Do you really want me to take back the modifications I’ve already made?”

Remus had had enough. Grabbing his wand, he cast  _ silencio _ on the impossible Blacks before Sirius had a chance to respond.

“Will you two please calm down. Yes, Sirius, we could use a bit more space and some nicer things. But no, Regulus, you are not allowed to do any of it without our permission. We all have to live here and in addition to that, we shouldn’t buy insanely nice furniture and things because we have two five year olds who would like nothing but to play on them and inevitably ruin them. So. Take five minutes to breathe and think.” Walking forward, the lanky man snatched the wands away from the two and left them in silence, only to return not five minutes later with them wrestling mutely on the floor, apparently not ready to give up the fight just yet, even if they had to settle this mano a mano.

Swearing under his breath, Remus tore the two apart by their collars, anger seething in heat waves, almost burning the backs of their necks. “I. Said. Stop.” Dragging the two over the table, Remus put each brother in opposite chairs and spelled them there. “I’m already raising two children. I don’t need to watch after two more. I’m taking Draco and Harry to football practice. I’ll be back in an hour.” Holstering his wand, he pocketed the other two before side-along apparating with the two boys to the other side of town.

Two blocks from the field, the three walked briskly, the two boys running ahead, kicking the ball between them. Draco stopped, turning to Remus asking “Why can’t we play on a Quidditch team instead? Muggle sports are boring - they can’t even fly!.”

“This is safer. For the time being, we need to be careful.”

“Why?”

Remus smiled wryly. “Because people are after Sirius and Regulus.”

Harry stopped dead. “Why are people after Pa’foo’?”

“Because he was fighting with Regulus.”

“Are people after Moony too?”

Stooping down, Remus picked up the young boy, snatching Draco at the same time. “Of course not. No one is coming after me.” Remus carried the two boys the last hundred feet, kicking the ball along. Setting the boys down, he went and joined the other parents on the sidelines, pulling out a book to read while the coach yelled instructions which were only partially followed. Draco had just started learning the rules which, much to his frustration, he was barely grasping: there were two goals, one ball, no brooms, and no magic. Remus was content to make polite conversation when necessary but far prefered the rest and solitude a book brought over discussing the children and their many accomplishment with their parents. An hour later, he grabbed the hands of the two boys, walked back in the direction they came, and apparated back home. “Go take a bath, boys. I’ll make you some food.”

Remus went about his business, busying himself in the kitchen. He almost threw the hot soup as he entered the dining room. It was so quiet he had entirely forgotten the Blacks were there. Setting down the pot, he turned to the men, still glaring at each other silently. “Would you like food?” The only response he got was continued stares. Sighing, he went back into the kitchen to grab three bowls.

Harry and Draco joined him a few minutes later, dripping from their bath.  _ Well, at least they’re clean _ . “Moony. Why are Pa’foo’ and Uncle Reg not eating? And why are they angry?”

“They’re in time out, Harry.”

“Is that because they were fighting?”

“Yes, Draco.”

“Are they going to be taken away?”

Remus laughed. “No, Harry. Nobody is going to come after them as long as they stay in time out and are good when they get out.” Remus looked over at the two, who had the most shocked expressions on their faces, mouthing unheard exclamations and, he was sure, threats. Remus smiled at the two men as he cleaned up the meal, letting the boys run off to play with the snitch in the large, yet-unfurnished room which had appeared that morning and started the entire argument.

Returning to the dining room, Remus reversed the Silencing Charm he had placed hours before on Sirius and Regulus. “Now. Let’s talked about this like the civilized men we are, shall we?”

“He had no right!” Sirius burst out before Regulus could open his mouth.

“No right? I live here too, you know.”

“As of a two days ago.”

“There are five people here and three bedrooms. I refuse to sleep on the couch.”

“So you decided to build a suite for yourself without talking it over first.”

“Hardly. I wanted to make a large playroom for the boys which could double as a bedroom, if you decide to keep it. And given that it’s concealed by magic, it would be easy to hide them away if the Ministry or Dumbledore ever comes knocking. That is  _ if _ you decide to keep it. I don’t do things on a whim, Sirius. I’m not as compulsive as you.”

Remus thought this was actually a well thought out plan, but for the sake of diplomacy decided not to take sides. “Are there any other plans you had? Any other...improvements you want to make?”

“Well, yes. I wanted to add a library, expand the kitchen, dining, and living rooms, and enlarge each of the bedrooms upstairs, but I guess-.”

“You can’t just--”

Remus cut in. “Regulus. I understand that you are used to a more opulent living space. And I can see some of these coming in very useful. However. The general living spaces need to stay...normal. We can’t do anything that would make the Muggle neighbors suspicious, let alone any potential visitors from the Ministry.”

“Moony. He can’t just change things.”

“No, he can’t. But he can change where he’s sleeping. And I think the playroom is an excellent idea. That way we have somewhere to send them where they can be out of our hair and have plenty of room to play and stay out of each other’s way. It’s big enough to be converted to two separate bedrooms as they get older.”

“And you’re happy about him doing this behind your back?”

“Not exactly, no. However, I’m not mad either. He had the best intentions. What I won’t allow under any circumstances, however, is the full sized Quidditch pitch I found hidden under the playroom. That is absolutely out of the question.”

Regulus stared open mouthed, pinned under Remus’ glare. He thought he had hidden the pitch so well. “Wait. He made a pitch? Moony! That’s the one thing I  _ am  _ ok with keeping! Come on. That way we can train the boys to get on their respective house teams when they get to Hogwarts. We can’t send James Potter’s son to school entirely untrained in that sport, and we can’t let Draco’s potential talent go to waste, either. Besides. We could enchant the room to look and feel like it’s actually outside. It would be so c--”

“No. If we want to train them we might as well go to Grimmauld Place and use the pitch there.” Sirius visibly flinched. “I know you don’t want to go back. But it won’t be suspicious to the Ministry if they detect brooms flying around there. We can also go there to start giving them theoretical lessons on potions, charms, transfiguration, and defensive magic . The manor has the necessary resources and set up for it, and you know it. You’re right. We can’t send Harry or Draco untrained in Quidditch, but we also can’t send them untrained in magic. They would be the laughing stock of the school, a Potter and Malfoy coming entirely unaware of the world into which they were born.”

“But we could just as easily-”

“Sirius, you are more than welcome to use the manor. I know you don’t want to go back, and you don’t have to if you don’t want to. But Remus brings up some good points. The Ministry won’t think twice about brooms and magic at Grimmauld Place,but they would start to be suspicious if there were copious amounts of underaged magic going on here. Considering Harry turned your hair green yesterday and Draco got the football stuck to the ceiling, I expect there will be quite a lot of it. We need to teach them both control.”

Remus and Regulus had pinned Sirius into a corner. A position, Remus knew, that he very much did not like. Looking at his two friends, butt still stuck to the chair, Sirius reluctantly conceded, knowing that he would never be able to come up with a good enough excuse. With a swish of Remus’ wand, Regulus and Sirius were finally allowed to stand, which they did slowly, stretching their cramped legs and rubbing their bruised bottoms. Silently stumbling towards the kitchen, they opened the fridge and started pulling out food for dinner. Remus hesitantly left the two to check on the boys.

He found Draco and Harry wrestling on the ground, evidently fighting about who had caught the snitch first. The little golden ball was fluttering around, darting back and forth over the boys, evidently frustrated by the lack of attention it was used to getting. The tired man looked at the two, sighed, and closed the door. They would have to work it out themselves. If they escalated, they were sure to come to him or the other two. Going to the kitchen, he found Sirius and Regulus on the ground laughing, food everywhere. Remus couldn’t help but join them, the ridiculousness of the situation catching him entirely off guard, worn down with the events of the day. A few minutes and cramped lungs later, Remus got up to go to bed, saying that it was Regulus’ and Sirius’ job to take care of the quarreling boys.

 

oOoOoOo

 

Sunday morning came, greeting Ilkley with the customary drizzle. The Lupin-Black house was tense, knowing that dinner that night could be a complete disaster. Regulus was especially quiet. If Narcissa changed her mind, the consequences could be severe, the least of which being that the Black name would be tainted and he would lose the power of his lordship. Remus extracted the boys from their room, which Regulus had spent the entire weekend outfitting with beds, toys, clothes, and all the things money could buy. With minimal success, Remus tried to get the boys dressed, eventually calling for Sirius’ help in the futile endeavor. An hour later, the four were dressed in their Sunday best.

“Uncle Reg! You’re going to make us late!” Harry called.

Finally, Lord Black strode down the staircase in full regalia, dressed in the robes he had worn to the Malfoy Ball. Sirius’ jaw dropped and Harry giggled. Draco look bewildered, having known nothing else but such formal attire for dinner with family, and Remus simply smiled. “Reg. We’re not going to a funeral or something as formal as a Pureblood dinner. Relax. Go upstairs and change into something a little less...intimidating.”

Five minutes and a disgruntled Regulus later, the five apparated to the Tonks’ front door for their weekly Sunday dinner. Sirius lifted his hand to knock, only to be stopped by Remus yanking his wrist back down, a finger held up for quiet. Two raised female voices sounded through the door, the wood muffling their discussion. It was clear, however, who it was. Narcissa’s unmistakable poise and Andi’s blatant rebellion chimed together in perfect dissonance. The voices got louder, the handle turned, and the door sprung open.

“-see I’m not welcome. Good day, Andromeda.” Narcissa turned to be met with five faces staring awkwardly at her. Remus was the first to recover.

“Andi. We invited Narcissa here today for some business. And something we would like to discuss with you. May we come in?”

Andromeda contemplated the matter over, opened the door further, and invited the five men in and her sister to stay. Pulling Remus aside she whispered, “You could have given me fair warning, you know. And you brought Regulus, not to mention Draco, along with you. You better have a good explanation for this.”

“We meant to tell you when we arrived, but I didn’t expect her to show up so early. I promise we will explain everything soon . But let’s sit and at least have some drinks and some food for the children. They’re hungry.”

Andi swore under her breath as she led Remus into the dining room, calling for the meal. The first half hour was filled with tense silence, awkward small talk, and the chatter of two little children. Once the plates had been cleared, Harry ran off to show Draco his favorite thing in on the whole property: a large oak tree in the back yard hung with lanterns lit with colorful flames. The room devoid of distractions, Andi turned to Remus and Sirius. “You two. Explain. Now.”

Sirius raised his hand, motioning for the woman to calm down. “Andi, it would actually be best if Regulus explained. That way Narcissa can understand his full reasoning as well.” Gesturing to the Lord Black, Sirius settled back in his chair as Regulus once again recounted all that had happened at the Malfoy Halloween Ball, his reaction, his reasons, and the plan to get Narcissa on their side. Ten minutes later, Reg finished and was met with silence and shock from Andi and Ted as they took the new information in. After a minute, Andi turned to her sister, a contemplative look on her face.

“You’ve agreed to this?”

“I simply want the best for Draco. Of course, I feel like the best thing for him is to be with me, even so, Regulus makes some fair points. Lucius is my husband. I will not betray him. However, he does not have the softest hand when it comes to children.” Looking at Regulus, she produced a folder. “As such, I have drawn up the necessary documents. You are all welcome to review them and inspect them by any means you find necessary, though I made sure they are exactly to your specifications” She handed the folder over and the three men bent over them, looking for anything that could lead to a loophole, unforeseen consequence, or terms which did not fit their agreement. Finding none, the four signed the documents with Andromeda and Theodore as witnesses.

The documents were absolute in more than their ironclad wording. As with nearly every document to ever pass through Pureblood hands, the parchment they were written on was spelled. Though not as dark as some documents would have been nor as irreversible as an Unbreakable Vow, the spells would tongue-tie any signer who attempted to break the document’s strict guidelines, specifically those relating to confidentiality. The other signers would be alerted to the breach by their own copies of the documents and only one of them would be able to lift the culprit’s curse leaving them plenty of time to adequately react and repair any damage that might have been done.

With that done, the adults went into the yard to join the kids. Regulus pulled out his wand, casting fairy lights to dance among the tree branches and dart around the boys, who instantly tried catching them as if they were snitches. Remus sidled up to Andromeda. “He’s really not as bad as you think, you know. He has his stubborn ways, and he still acts like a bloody airhead at times, but deep down he’s actually a decent person. Misguided for most of his life, but then so were many others. He might have gone about the whole business in an ill-advised manner, but he did so truly caring about Draco’s future. And he found Sirius and I without alerting the Ministry.”

Andi give Remus a sidelong glance, a raised eyebrow all the reaction he was going to get from her.

“I’m not saying we haven’t butted heads. He’s used to a more, shall we say, extravagant style of living--taken it upon himself to magic additions to the house which were rather unwarranted. Sirius and he are having a hard time, not having lived with each other in ages. I put both of them in time-out Friday, leaving them to sit on their arguments all day.” At this Andi smiled. Remus might seem like the kind, forgiving uncle, but he had a firm hand no one would ever expect of such a smiling face. “Hours later, when I de-spelled them, they got right back to arguing. I feel like I’m raising four kids, not two.”

Ted chuckled, “Well, you certainly have your hands full. We’ll keep an eye out and an ear to the ground for any unsolicited company coming your way. But it looks like you’ll be fine.” Ted pointed, drawing the attention of the other two. Sirius and Regulus were chasing each other, their charges on their shoulders yelling orders. Regulus tripped over a stump, tripping Sirius in the process, the four landing in a piled heap together, a mess of limbs and laughter. Ted, Andi, Remus and Cissy joined in laughing as the sun set, a seemingly perfect ending to an all too stressful day.

And for a moment, just a small moment, everything seemed right in the world.

And it would have stayed that way, if fate hadn’t decided to step up to the plate.

 

oOoOoOo

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick update before my last final--wish me luck!   
> This chapter was written by ChipOfftheOldSoul.

For a while, life went as smoothly as it could when revolving around two competitive children, the five-year-olds they had kidnapped, and their friendly parental werewolf. Remus stayed home with the boys while Sirius worked at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and Regulus worked in his potions lab at Grimmauld Place. Narcissa kept her side of the agreement and neither Lucius nor anyone from the Ministry investigated Draco’s disappearance. Every afternoon, Remus brought Harry and Draco to Grimmauld Place for lessons in a repurposed guestroom and after a firm set-down from Regulus, Kreacher stopped grumbling about the half-blooded spawn and the foul animal stinking up his mistress’s house in order to fawn over Draco. No matter what arguments Regulus and Remus tried, Sirius refused to step foot inside that house, though he would occasionally agree to play Quidditch with the boys in the backyard pitch. 

Dinners continued at Ted and Andi’s every Sunday and Regulus was given the opportunity to get the know the cousin that had been disowned before he even started Hogwarts. He learned about their daughter, a twelve year old Metamorphmagus who was reeking causing havoc in Hufflepuff House and lost five galleons to Ted off the outcome of a Puddlemore United vs. Wimbourne Wasps match. Narcissa continued to join them for dinner at least every other week and, slowly, she and Andromeda stopped shooting barbs at one another and started trying to understand one another instead. Ted and Regulus stopped losing money to each other after the sisters’ every verbal sparring match.

Two weeks after the initial confrontation, Narcissa came bearing gifts. Harry looked on enviously while Draco opened a present until Narcissa motioned him over and pressed a box into his hands, his eyes going wide. With only Sirius working regularly--a government position at that--there had never been an abundance of money in the past, even with Remus’ odd jobs, so gifts were usually only given at birthdays and Christmas. Even Regulus’ massive home remodeling had been treated more as a necessity than a luxury and Remus and Sirius had quickly cut him off when he started getting extravagant. After being reminded to say ‘thank you’, Harry tore into his gift, emerging triumphantly with a set of wizarding story books and “Gravity Defying” building blocks.

“I’ll show you how high we can stack those!” Draco whispered conspiratorially and Regulus shared a look with Remus, both knowing that cushioning charms were in order for the boys’ floor. When Narcissa had shown up two weeks later with more gifts, Remus had tried to put his foot down.

“Narcissa, you can’t go spoiling them. They have what they need.” Narcissa had raised an eyebrow and ignored him soundly.

“It’s a mother’s prerogative,” she said a month later when two sets of robes perfectly tailored to the boys were delivered via owl. “And you wouldn’t want Harry to feel left out, would you?” Knowing they would get nowhere trying to restrain her, Regulus had stopped trying and left Remus to his futile fight.

And roughly three weeks after meeting--after letting Regulus, Remus and Sirius endure countless hours of quieting tantrums, breaking up fights and silencing screaming matches--Draco and Harry realized a very important fact: they were both very talented at causing mayhem. This realization was quickly followed by another: if they used their talents to work together instead of against one another, Uncle Sirius would give in, Uncle Regulus would disappear and Uncle Remus would (probably) soften.

The three men found the boys’ cooperation even more terrifying than their competition. Sirius was so proud that Regulus worried his brother was going to try to buy out all of Zonko’s before Remus intervened, but in the end, the boys were only slipped Frogley’s Unpoppable Bubbles. It took the boys all of twenty unsupervised minutes to fill their entire room with the now banned bubbles.

Despite all this, life settled into a mostly predictable rhythm until five months after Regulus and Draco had appeared on the doorstep. While picking up his usual order of ingredients from the apothecary, Regulus had been browsing through the literature available on the wall next to the counter. Most of it was rubbish - hair potions and weight loss potions and potions advertised to increase one’s magical powers - but there was one article that made him stop, eyes glued to the page. As nonchalantly as he could, he purchased the journal as well, apparated home and ignoring the ingredients still needing to be shelved, dried, or preserved, tore the journal open to the article that had grabbed his attention.

_ Wolfsbane: A Cure for the Beastly Disease? _

He knew about Remus’ problem, of course. The night they had signed the documents, Sirius had gotten the boys ready for bed while Remus had sat Regulus down and told him everything about his ‘furry little problem’. He had lived with the condition nearly his whole life and with Sirius’ not inconsiderable assistance, he could handle it. On full moon nights, Andi and Ted would watch Harry while Moony and Padfoot would go for a run. A few times every year, Moony would visit one of the tamer packs nearby because the memories of the war were still too fresh and Remus maintained that someday, they might need the contacts he made there. It wasn’t ideal--the life of a werewolf never was--but it worked. Remus swore again and again that he would never willingly put Draco or Regulus in danger. He was careful. 

Regulus had tried to understand. Granted, a lifetime of misconceptions was difficult to rewrite, but he tried. He helped Andi and Ted on full moon nights, he made healing and pain potions for after the moon, and he was working on a potion that would diminish the scars the wolf had inflicted on Remus. But a cure? That was worth looking at.

Except that it wasn’t a cure, only a suppressant. The werewolf’s body would still transform, but his human mind would remain. He would no longer be the slavering beast he hated so much.

Of course, Sirius and Remus were not so hopeful.

“This potion is practically untested, Regulus,” Remus sighed. “We cannot let ourselves settle into a false sense of security. What if I took it and it didn’t work? You would all be in danger and I will not let that happen.”

Regulus rolled his eyes. “It’s not like we’re going to let you off in the playroom without caution, Remus.”

“I don’t--”

“That is not the point!” Sirius, who had until this moment been quietly fuming while he read and reread the article, finally joined the conversation with his usual bang. “You are not taking this potion because it’s too dangerous, Moony! The main ingredient is Wolfsbane for Merlin’s sake. It’s poison!”

“I’ve checked, Sirius. Aconite is the main suppressant, but the potion doesn’t use the leaves, it utilizes the flower petals which are significantly less poisonous.” 

“ _ Less _ ? You want me to submit my best friend for testing of an unproven potion filled with  _ less poison? _ Well, that’s all better then, isn’t it?” Sirius stopped his pacing and flopped into a chair, arms crossed tight, scowling at his younger brother. 

“Thankfully, it’s not your decision to make now, is it?” Regulus said thinly and redirected his attention. He knew his overly dramatic brother would never use reason to make this sort of decision, but Remus could be persuaded to at least try.

The werewolf in question sighed and took the article back from Sirius, reading it thoroughly for at least the fifth time since Regulus had brought it home. “Do you know him then, this Damocles Belby?” The potioner responsible for Wolfsbane was quoted heavily throughout the article using jargon Remus couldn’t quite grasp.

“Only by reputation,” Regulus said. “He graduated Hogwarts before I got there, but he’s one of the best in the field.” Remus nodded slowly, looking first at Sirius, then Regulus, then in the direction of the boys’ bedroom, praying they were actually asleep and not sneaking around as they were wont to do.

“Yes, all right,” he finally said. “I’ll try it.”

 

oOoOoOo

 

And all went well. Not perfectly, but Regulus was no longer naive enough to expect anything to go perfectly. Still, it went well for two months. Harry and Draco were still sent to Andi and Ted’s, but Regulus stayed with Padfoot and Moony. For the first time, Moony’s wounds left from the change were healed immediately rather than hours afterward. And though it was still Remus under all that fur, his inhibitions seemed lower. He frolicked around the house with Padfoot and even Regulus, teasingly playing tug-a-war over the the ancient blanket they’d had him change on. Being as it was still Remus, he sniffed out Regulus’ hidden German chocolate stash and pilfered it remorselessly. By the time the next full moon rose, Regulus had built a cellar for the transformations, warded against anything Moony could throw at it. All in all, the Wolfsbane was a success that even Sirius could not deny.

Until word reached the other wolves.

Most werewolves had neither the skills to make the potion nor the money to buy it, but those who could were hurrying to any available source, exactly as Damocles had likely intended. A few wolves, though, took issue with the suppressant. Those who reveled on the night of the moon, who welcomed the ungovernable wildness that came with moonrise, those who felt powerful that single night every month instead of incapacitated began harassing those seeking a cure. At their head stood Fenrir Greyback.

Regulus had met the--he couldn’t bring himself to refer to that particular werewolf as a man--once back when the Dark Lord had been utilizing Greyback’s more feral skills. For days afterward, he had felt the illusion of those too long, too jagged nails skating up and down his spine whenever he was alone. When Greyback learned that his once potential protege who had never returned to the pack was using the cure, he came looking for Remus personally.

No one was home the first time Greyback stopped by. They were all one block away at the grocery store. 

Draco and Harry loved the weekly excursion, insisting on it whether the family really needed the groceries or not. Draco loved watching the Muggles and trying to spot other wizards and witches. Harry loved seeing how many sweets he could entice from his uncles and the never ending supply of enchanted strangers. If Harry was ever wholly unsuccessful, Draco would roll his eyes and sneak a treat for them to share later after Sirius had put them to bed.

“Uncle Regulus,” Draco tugged insistently on his hand as they approached the house after one such expedition, “what’s happened to our house?” Regulus, Sirius and Remus looked to where Draco was pointing and Harry stopped his own babbling to stare open-mouthed. 

The front door was shredded, paint peeling in thick lines raking all the way from the top to the bottom. The siding was similarly torn and several windows had been smashed.

Harry broke away from Sirius’ grip to run through the front gate and around to the back garden. “Harry!” Sirius and Remus both dropped their groceries to run after him while Regulus dropped his own bags to pick up Draco and hold the small boy close to his chest. He didn’t know what was going on, but this level of destruction held too much malicious intent for it to be a simple prank from some muggle delinquents. Slowly following the others, Regulus and Draco found Sirius and Remus trying to both comfort and scold a crying Harry.

“But Sirius,” Harry wailed, “they killed our garden! Draco and me helped Regulus plant it and now everything is dead!” And everything was. The entire plot Regulus had planted with the boys, full of the different potions ingredients they learned about in their lessons had been eviscerated, all except for--

“That one’s not dead, Harry,” Draco said, desperately trying to cheer his friend up. “Look!” He struggled to get out of Regulus’s grasp, but Regulus held fast, recognizing the one remaining plant just in time; an ingredient he never would have planted where Draco and Harry would have access to it. An ingredient far too dangerous for the benign project he had intended for the kids.

Monkswood. Aconite.  _ Wolfsbane. _

“Greyback?” Regulus asked quietly. Remus nodded solemnly.

“I can smell him all over the yard.” 

The destruction took on new meaning. Scars across the door and walls from too long, too jagged nails. Gaping windows showing that he could get in whenever he chose. His scent marking their home as his.

It was only four days until the next full moon and all three men were on high alert. There were no more park excursions, Sirius made excuses to Andi and Ted that they would be missing Sunday dinner, lessons were taught in the playroom and both Sirius and Regulus took a few days off work. On the evening two days before the moon, Regulus saw Greyback through a window, prowling around the edges of the small back yard. He was gone by the time Regulus and Sirius made it out of the house with their wands raised high. Draco and Harry were unhappily confined to the large playroom after that, but the tension in the house was so thick that, thankfully, the boys kept their antics mild. When the day of the full moon arrived, Regulus took Draco and Harry to Andi’s early, avoiding her questions and refusing her offer of a cup of tea. They expected everything to culminate tonight and had preparations to make at home.

The already shielded house was warded as heavily as the foundation could stand. Hexes were laid at every door and window, neither Regulus nor Sirius having any problem setting the darkest curses they could think of anywhere that might be used as an entry point. The Floo was disconnected and not even owls could get past their fortifications. No one would be coming to help if things went badly. If the very worst happened, custody of Draco and Harry would go jointly to Andi and Narcissa. Regulus knew no more terrifying defense than those two women standing together. Their boys would be safe.

Remus was shaking as he choked down his last bitter dose of potion. He would not be in the cellar this month, he would be with them where he could fight. “Are you both ready?” he asked, breathing harshly through clenched teeth.

“We’re ready, Moons,” Sirius said. Regulus nodded, hand clenching and unclenching around his wand.

“Any minute now then. Let him target me. Get him while he is distracted and leave me. You have to be there for Harry and Draco--” Sirius was scowling and opened his mouth to object, but Regulus cut him off.

“We’re getting out of this,” he said. “All of us. You’ll be there to pick up Draco and Harry with us and answer all of Andi’s nagging questions. Is that understood?” Through the pain of his body reshaping, Remus twisted out a gruesome smile. The three waited in silence until moonlight suddenly filled the room and twin howls rent the air--one from within, one from without.

The brothers backed away as their friend transformed. Coarse fur pushed up through skin it was never meant to. Joints dislocated, turned around and reinserted themselves into mismatched sockets. Skin tore trying to spread itself too thin over a body it couldn’t quite cover any more. Bones cracked and remolded themselves trying to maneuver around vital and delicate organs. And because of the Wolfsbane, Remus was there to experience every nerve-rending moment of it with no relief from Moony.

It made Regulus ill.

The discordant howls of the two changing werewolves tore through the night and up and down the street. Inside the Lupin-Black house though, the men readied their wands as Moony collapsed on the floor. They wouldn’t have to wait long.

Only a few minutes later, Moony picked himself up, growling as he sensed a presence neither Regulus nor Sirius could yet. Another long moment passed and Moony howled as all three felt the wards tremble under a sudden assault. Regulus could feel Sirius vibrating with anticipation. Remus was pacing just in front of them. Still they waited, standing their ground.

The wards came down with the sound of shattering glass. Before they had time to speak, the front door exploded inward in a mess of splintered wood and flying screws and another werewolf stood there, huffing, muzzle pulled back in a cruel imitation of a smile. He was grizzled, his grey fur matted and teeth stained yellow with age. His claws clicked loudly against the floor as he stepped forward slowly. The curse on the threshold should have frozen the wolf in place, literally turning him into a frostbitten corpse, but Greyback only paused in the entryway and shook himself free of the spell. Moony crouched, ready to pounce.

The grey wolf glanced at the two battle-ready wizards, but focused instead on the bronze wolf in front of them. Greyback’s bark was gruff, impatient and unintelligible to the wizards, but Moony seemed to understand him just fine because he growled back intently. Greyback’s response was derisive, then, quicker than Regulus’ reflexes could track, Greyback was on Moony.

Moony yelped under the the larger wolf and struggled to shove him off, but Greyback had the advantage of weight and leverage and that unbreakable seed of respect a pup feels for its sire. Regulus and Sirius both tried to target Greyback, but with the movement of the wolves as they fought, there was no way to guarantee their curses would hit Greyback rather than Moony. They kept their wands trained on the pair, waiting for their opportunity. It was several minutes before it came.

As he rolled, Moony shoved Greyback away, slamming him into the couch, tipping it over. Greyback responded quickly and pounced once, but with Moony’s smaller size came the advantage of speed and he ducked out of the way before launching himself onto the grey wolf’s back. “Out of the way, Moony!” Regulus yelled. He had fired a bone grinding hex that had only just missed the werewolf when he leaped forward. Moony wasn’t listening. He bit down on the back of Greyback’s neck, snarling viciously. Regulus wondered for a moment if the Wolfsbane was wearing off, but there was an expression of intelligence in his eyes that Regulus hadn’t seen before. Remus wanted to fight.

They would do this together, then. They had three wizard minds, two wands and one self-possessed werewolf. Greyback had only his manic strength.

“Sirius, we’re going to corral him,” Regulus called. Sirius nodded and dodged when the still wrestling wolves sent a lamp crashing to the ground near him.

“To the cellar then?”

Regulus agreed. If they couldn’t kill Greyback, the least they could do was hold him. Though, he really wasn’t against killing the murderer.

“Moony,” Sirius yelled into the snarling mess of bronze and grey fur, “get him to the cellar if you can.” A yip answered and once more Greyback was shoved to the edge of the room. The plaster of the wall cracked under his weight.

Together, Regulus, Sirius and Moony crowded Greyback towards the coat closet which contained the trapdoor to the cellar. Moony’s aggressive defense kept the other wolf moving backward and the constant barrage of curses kept him from darting to either side. After several minutes of push and shove, the closet door flew open with an easy flick of Sirius’ wand and the trapdoor followed suit. Greyback finally realized just how close he was to losing and made another mad dash forward, but Moony slashed a heavy paw across the other wolf’s throat and bit down hard on his muzzle. Bleeding, Greyback pushed the younger wolf back with feral aggression, focused on this one target. While he was occupied, Regulus’ Stupify hit Greyback straight in the eye and the werewolf finally crumpled.

Sirius dropped his wand to his side in relief, but Regulus held his ground, ready for another attack. Breathing heavily and sweating with exertion, he didn’t trust that the fight was quite over. Moony seemed to agree because when Sirius stepped forward, wand ready to levitate the unconscious werewolf into the cellar, Moony darted forward, barking sharply. His meaning was clear, even to Regulus: do not touch.

“Alright, mate, alright,” Sirius said, hands held up in surrender. “Just shove him down into the cellar though, will you? I don’t want to look at his ugly mug any longer than I have to.” Moony huffed in amusement then obeyed, pushing the unconscious wolf towards the open doors with his front paws, his muzzle wrinkled against the pungent odor of the werewolf who hadn’t washed himself in months. The body fell with a satisfying  _ thud _ . Before either Regulus or Sirius could seal the trapdoor closed, Moony walked in and dropped down on top of the it, their self-appointed guardsman. He looked up at the two wizards, pleased with himself. Regulus chuckled and finally dropped his wand to his side.

“Good boy,” he said to the wolf who barked in indignation. The Black brothers laughed in relief and Moony wagged his tail.

 

oOoOoOo

 

It wasn’t until after moonset and after healing Remus that Sirius called for help removing Greyback from their cellar. “Black,” Alastor Moody barked when they met him on the front porch. “Why did you not call this in immediately?”

“I wanted my beauty sleep,” Sirius said mildly. “Would you take him already? He clashes with the decor.” Without another word, he turned and sauntered back into the house. Moody glared at Remus who was propped up against the door frame and Regulus sitting on the front steps coolly twirling his wand between his fingers.

“Where is he then?” Moody demanded. Regulus smirked and pointed to the lump of unconscious skin partially hidden by the replanted shrubbery which had been so rudely torn up the week before. Moody raised an eyebrow at the battered body then looked back to the two men still standing quietly on the porch. “And what exactly did you boys do to my suspect?”

“We defended ourselves,” Remus said.

“Vigorously,” Regulus added. Moody  _ harrumph _ ed and with two junior aurors in tow, apparated Greyback out of their lives. They stayed where they were for several long moments before Regulus turned to the other man and said triumphantly, “I think it’s time to go collect our boys, don’t you?”

“I thinks that sounds brilliant.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first section of this chapter was written by Amalthea_Oberon and the second section was written by ChipOfftheOldSoul.

With the success of Wolfsbane and getting Greyback behind bars, the Lupin-Black household was on a big of a high. Draco’s sixth birthday was full of food(fights), quidditch, and a quick trip to Diagon Alley where Draco was allowed to pick out a special gift. He chose a Nimbus 1700 - the top broom in its time - much to the disgruntlement of Remus, who found the entire thing unsafe. Narcissa, however, wouldn’t hear of complaints, reminding them that _she_ was the mother, not them, and if she found it acceptable, then they had no choice but to allow it. Remus scowled, but said nothing, knowing he would get absolutely nowhere, perhaps even backwards, if he tried.

Harry’s was one to remember, complete with fireworks (which Regulus abhorred), exploding snaps (which Remus very much opposed), and a reasonable bed time (which Sirius protested). Harry also received a gift - an owl so that he could write letters to Andi and Ted and Nymphadora, which he had been begging to do.

The boys continued to go to the Tonks’ on full moon nights, and Andi stopped asking questions. Remus had made sure to take her and Ted aside and explain everything that had happened with Greyback.

In a gentler, less terrifying way, he introduced Harry and Draco to Moony. Remus transformed in the cellar, far away from young ears and eyes, and when the boys had been allowed to come out of their room, they found Padfoot playing with a bronze wolf, prancing and barking. Regulus had lead the two by the hands and told them the truth. Harry, always less cautious than Draco, had reached out to Moony. Remus had responded by cheerfully pinning the boy and licking his face until it dripped. Draco watched, laughing, and eventually petting Moony on the nose, who yipped quietly and wagged his tail, knowing anything more would frighten the young Malfoy.

After that, Andi and Cissy had agreed that it really was still better for the boys to be with the Tonks on those nights. Andi had gone so far as to offer (insist) for them to stay a couple days (if necessary, of course). Remus had smiled, taking a mental note to use it if needed.

Three months passed and October rolled around. Invitations to the Malfoy’s Halloween Ball were sent out and Regulus brought one by, panic in his eyes. Remus simply grabbed the glossy  announcement and ripped it in half, decidedly stating they didn’t have to go and Draco wouldn’t be in any danger at all. Unconsciously, the three men became more vigilant, taking more precautions when going out in public or even simply answer the door when the postman knocked. And this stress, which usually went away after about a week, stuck around and only got worse.

But before they knew it, before anyone realized what was going on, the feeling had changed from one of anxiety to one of mourning. The pictures of James with Sirius, Remus, and Peter, Lily with Marlene and Dorcus, of James and Lily waving from their frames, dancing in the fall wind, kissing a small baby, slowly began to disappear, hidden away like they were every year.

October’s full moon on the 17th was lackluster. Remus swallowed the bitter potion, feeling the poison spread throughout his body and knowing that if Regulus ever mixed the ingredients wrong, it would kill him. The excruciating pain made him double over and howl. He was normally able to keep it in, but not this time. Afterwards he lay curled up on the floor, whimpering. Sirius had tried to comfort his friend only to be snapped at.

Pushing himself off the ground, Remus padded outside, taking off into the night., checking to make sure Sirius didn’t follow. Hours of walking, running, sneaking. He skirted houses, ran down alleys, and avoided the police. When the night was starting to get light, he finally found what he had been looking for: Cottonbridge, a little village  on the east side of England.

Slinking through the country town in the early morning hours when the blue mist made everything featureless and mystical, Remus made his way down the streets, no longer worried about what people might think if they saw him. In the pale pre-dawn light he passed the ruins of a house on Godric’s Hollow overgrown with weeds barely blinking an eye.

A church rose before him and he quietly jumped the wrought iron gate, padding between the solitary stones of the dead. And just as the sun was starting to peek its face over the horizon, Remus stopped. Sitting on his hind legs, he raised his head to the sky and howled into the dawn, defying the world around him. He howled through the pain of being changed back, and his screams turned into the sobs of a broken man, collapsed on the mound of dirt that held his friends.

He hardly noticed when soft hands pull him up, encircling him. “I know, Moony. I know.”

 

oOoOoOo

 

Regulus was not okay. Sirius and Remus were neglecting the boys and making them feel worthless. Remus, always a quiet man, never voiced his opinion anymore unless specifically asked and when he did speak, it was in monotones. Sirius began locking himself in his room for hours at a time. Food burnt at least once every day until Regulus took over all cooking duties. The unopened bottle of firewhiskey disappeared and was found empty in Remus’ room. Owls were only answered when Regulus was there to receive them and he found the Floo disconnected every time he came home. Regulus was left to not only pick up their slack, but also to comfort Harry and Draco. He spent hours trying to drag the boys out of their recently acquired shells, but both held on tenaciously. It seemed they wouldn’t come back until Sirius and Remus did, which necessitated a new strategy.

He tried being gentle around the two men, he tried being mean, he tried talking to them about their friends, he even tried confronting them, but nothing seemed to work. When he took Harry and Draco to Andi’s house for the full moon, he told her they might need to stay with her for a few days.

“Is everything alright?” she asked.

“No.”

That night after Moony ran away, Sirius once again locked himself inside his room and Regulus was left standing in the living room trying to decide on the safest course of action: chase down an upset werewolf or break into his brother’s room unannounced? It only took a glance around the living room with its missing pictures to decide where Moony had likely gone.

And he was right. Mostly.

The burnt out husk of a house at Godric’s Hollow had been turned into some sort of memorial. There was a sign out front that had already been vandalized, everyone who thought they held some claim to the Potters’ story writing words of comfort and support. Regulus wondered if Sirius and Remus would ever bring Harry to see it. He waited there for hours because while he had apparated, Moony would have had to run. Just as the sun was making its existence known, a ruffled bronze wolf ran by. He didn’t stop at the dilapidated house, but continued past and Regulus quietly followed him all the way to a cemetery.

The wolf stopped and sat in front of a large, marble headstone. His usual perfect posture was gone. His head hung, his shoulders slumped. He looked one strong gust of wind from collapsing to the ground. Standing back, Regulus watched the wolf whose body was wracked with more pain than it could quite contain. He was howling when the sun made its official appearance and all the way through his transformation back into a man. Remus laid on the ground, shoulders shaking with uncontrollable sobs until Regulus couldn’t watch anymore and finally stepped forward and pulled his friend into his arms.

“I know, Moony. I know,” he murmured. He held Remus until the man stopped trembling and pulled away.

“Let’s go home,” Regulus finally said and Remus nodded along. He kept his eyes downcast and carefully made sure not to touch Regulus as they stood. Rolling his eyes, Regulus held out a hand. “I’ll apparate us.” Having no other choice without his wand, Remus put his limp hand in Regulus’ tight grip. Then they were home again, Remus’ eyes as dead as they had been all month. Regulus felt like swearing. “Do you need healing?” he bit out. Remus didn’t seem to notice the change of tone and merely shook his head. “Then go get dressed and come back here. We need to talk.” When Remus was gone, Regulus marched up to Sirius’ room and banged on the door. “Open up, Sirius, we have a problem!”

It was a moment before the door opened and Sirius’ face was visible through the thin opening. “What’s the problem?”

“You. Come down stairs before I have to drag you down.”

“Whatever, Reg.” Sirius started to push the door closed again, but Regulus was faster. He grabbed his brother’s wrist and yanked him out into the hallway. “Get off, Regulus!” Sirius had gone from dull-eyed to fired up in less than two seconds and Regulus was glad. An angry Sirius, he could deal with. He dragged his protesting brother all the way down the stairs and tossed him onto the living room couch.

“Stay there,” he ordered. When Sirius moved to stand, Regulus snapped his wand out and had it pressed to the underside of Sirius’ chin before Sirius could take a step. “Sit. Down. And stay. There,” he hissed slowly. Regulus held Sirius’ angry gaze until the life drained from his brother’s eyes again and he slumped back onto the couch.

“Fine, Reg. Get it out so I can go back to bed.” Regulus glared at Sirius, but said nothing until Remus shuffled into view.

“Sit down, Remus.” He waited until Remus obeyed before speaking his mind.

“What is wrong with you two?” he demanded. Sirius arched a brow and Remus focused on the wall behind Regulus’ head.

“I’m sure you’ll tell us, won’t you, little brother?” Sirius drawled. Regulus looked between the two men on the couch and decided to change his tactic. His made his soft.

“Do you enjoy hurting Harry and Draco?” Both heads whipped up and both sets of eyes were alive for the first time in weeks.

“We aren’t hurting the boys!” Sirius cried.

“We never would!” Remus agreed.

“False. You’ve been ignoring them,” he said to Remus. “And you’ve been angry with them,” he said to Sirius. “You have both been so wrapped up in your own pain that you’ve been inflicting it on the boys. Have you noticed them around lately? Underfoot as much as usual?” Remus opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again without saying a thing. Sirius looked from his friend to his brother in confusion.

“We wouldn’t--We haven’t--” The second time he had to cut himself off, understanding seemed dawned on them, but Regulus was going to impress upon the two the full impact of their actions,

“Harry says you’re like this every year. He comforts Draco saying that ‘it’s only for a few more weeks’.” The men on the couch stared back. “Have you noticed the missing pictures around the house?”

“Sirius puts them away this time of year,” Remus said at the same time Sirius said, “Remus packs them up.” They eyed one another in confusion.

“I don’t take them down,” Sirius said.

“Neither do I,” Remus argued.

“Harry does.” Remus and Sirius looked at Regulus. “He noticed two years ago that the pictures of your friends made you sad. So he started taking them down. He hides them under his bed with all the noisy toys he thinks will upset you while you’re like this. Their broomsticks are hidden there now, too.” Sirius gaped. Remus squeezed his eyes close. Harry and Draco loved nothing more than to fly around the garden at Grimmauld, or even the backyard when Sirius or Regulus agreed to ward the area.

Regulus kept digging.

“Last week, when you snapped at Draco for breaking a plate, was the first time I have seen that expression on his face since I took him away from Lucius,” he said to Sirius. “Harry hugged him right away, said that everything was okay, that you didn’t mean it, that everything would be back to normal in just a couple weeks, he _promised_. Draco hasn’t slept in his own bed since that night. He always either climbs into bed with Harry or me.” Sirius buried his face in his hands.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t think--”

“I don’t care. When we pick those boys up, you two are going to be your regular, caring selves, not this self-absorbed crap you’ve been for the last three weeks.” He waited until they were both nodding before collapsing into a chair.

“It’s just...we miss them.” Sirius’ voice was breaking and Regulus ignored the urge to pet his head. He’d been spending too much time with Padfoot.

“You’re allowed to be sad,” he sighed. “But you’re not allowed to take it out on everyone else. And you should take Harry to Godric’s Hollow sometime,” he added. “Tell him stories about his mum and dad, because right now all he really knows is that they make you sad.”

“He should have been allowed to get to know them,” Remus said.

“Yes, he should have. But he wasn’t so you two will have to introduce them.” All three sat in silence for a long time. Regulus could tell that the others needed to think, reminisce, and he left them to it. He was tired after the long night spent waiting in the cold and he eventually let himself doze off a bit. He woke to a hand on his shoulder.

“Will you go pick up the boys?” Sirius asked. “Bring them home?” Regulus looked between Sirius and Remus walking in with tea. They didn’t look _happier_ , but they looked aware and that, at least, was an improvement.

“Alright,” he agreed. He heaved himself up and, blinking sleep out of his eyes, stumbled over to the Floo. He stopped before he got there though and turned. “You two be will be better,” he demanded. “Do you promise?” Sirius and Remus nodded solemnly.

“Good.”

When Regulus returned from Andi’s with two boys clinging to him, Sirius and Remus were nowhere to be found. They weren’t in the living room or the kitchen and the whole house, as far as Regulus could tell, was silent. He sighed, certain they had each sequestered themselves back in their rooms and was disappointed that the impact of his lecture had worn off so quickly. He took the boys back up to their room to play, but stopped in the doorway.

Sirius and Remus were there, sitting on the floor between the two beds, legs splayed out and pictures, both framed and not, strewn between them. “Hey there, minis,” Sirius said. His voice was rough and it sounded like he had been crying, but he attempted a smile and motioned to the boys. “How was Andi and Ted’s?”

“Good,” Harry said, hesitantly stepping towards his godfather. “But she made tomatoes and toast for breakfast again. I hate tomatoes.”

“Do you?” Remus chuckled, only slightly more collected that Sirius was. “But you liked them fine last month, didn’t you?” Draco’s grip on Regulus’s hand eased a little, but he didn’t let go.

“Now they’re gross though,” Harry said petulantly. He sat down on the floor next to Sirius, a foot of space between them until Sirius tugged him close.

“Hey, Bambi,” he said softly. “I’m sorry we’ve been so out of it. We didn’t realize it, and we didn’t know how much you were helping us.” Harry’s eyes grew wide and he looked from Sirius, to Remus to Regulus.

“You too, Draco,” Remus said and motioned the boy closer. Draco refused to let go of Regulus and pulled him along. When Regulus sat down on the floor near Sirius and Remus, Draco folded himself into his Uncle Regulus’ lap, eyes still glued to Remus. “We didn’t mean to hurt you. We were sad and didn’t notice that it affected anyone else. Can you forgive us?”

Harry and Draco looked at one another wonderingly. They seemed to have one of their telepathic conversations before turning back to the adults.

“No more,” Draco said, chin out and eyes defensive. “Don’t be sad like that any more. It’s scary.” The last part was quiet, but they all heard him.

“We won’t, dragon,” Remus said. “We promise.” Draco turned to Harry who nodded and that seemed to be it for the boys. All was forgiven.

“Why are you in our room?” Harry asked after a moment.

“We wanted to look at the pictures,” Sirius said and held up one photograph in particular, showing to Harry then Draco. It was the small, unframed polaroid Regulus had found tucked under Harry’s mattress the week before when he had first discovered the small horde. In the picture, five people stood together, wearing Hogwarts graduation robes: Sirius, Remus, James, Lily and Peter. All five were smiling victoriously for the camera and bouncing up and down. Lily was on Sirius’ back while James had his arms hooked around both Remus and Peter’s shoulders. Photo-Sirius started spinning Photo-Lily around. “We wanted to remember when they made us happy.” Harry looked confused.

“They made you happy?”

“They did. Do you boys want to hear a story?”

“What story?” Draco asked.

“The Marauders’ story,” Remus said. “It is a very long story, full of lots of little stories, but we think it is a good one. Do you want to hear it?”

“Yes,” both boys agreed and settled down with the excitement, wonder, awe and mischief only five year olds can bring to storytime. Sirius and Remus smiled wanly and began the story of Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, the castle they ruled, the princess they loved, and all the friends they had met along the way.

 

oOoOoOo

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by Amalthea_Oberon
> 
> A/N: Sorry for the wait guys! I had a crazy last two weeks - birthday, got engaged, my classes picked up, finals are next week. Life has been insane. But here it is!

Every night for the next ten weeks Harry asked Sirius to tell him more about the people called James, Lily, and Peter. Sometimes he would ask for a specific story, and others for just any one that Sirius wanted to tell. Draco wanted the adventures they had, the trouble they got in, and the rules they broke. Sometimes Remus would join in, telling the most ridiculous parts of James, the sweetest parts of Lily, and the kindest parts of Peter. The pictures got put back up, the young friends laughing and waving from their frames.

And one day, halfway through a story of one of James’ and Lily’s more disastrous dates (in which Sirius and his terrible advice played no part - none at all, no sirry), Harry tugged on Remus' hand. “Moony?

"Yes, Bambi?" Remus turned to the boy who looked so like his father.

"They’re my mummy and daddy, right?" Remus' eyes opened wide. Surely he and Sirius had not be so negligent as to not even share that before. Not to specifically tell Harry where he came from. He was sure they had…

"Did..." Harry looked over at Draco curled up against Remus' other side to make sure he was fast asleep before looking back to his uncle. "Did they love me?" he asked in a very small voice.

Remus set Draco down gently, pausing to make sure he wasn’t woken, and pulled Harry aside and gave him a different photo than all the other ones. James, usually laughing and running and chasing, was holding Lily tightly, a little baby boy in her arms. “That little boy,” Remus told him, “is you. These are your parents, Harry. They were like fire and ice, summer and winter, desert and ocean, sun and moon, and they loved you very much. You were the best gift they ever got.”

The house was filled with jokes and laughter and mischief again. Draco learned from the Marauders and their crazy exploits, his trouble making becoming more reckless by the day. Harry joined in, of course, adding that flare that only the son of James Potter could, and Remus almost regretted letting Sirius tell them so much. Almost.

Regulus was the most punished out of all of them as he never saw the increasingly crazy antics coming. Remus and Sirius had far more experience in causing such havoc and so were able to avoid most of it, leaving the younger brother to trip the traps. It was on one snowy Thursday morning as the five got ready for Christmas Dinner at the Tonks’ that Regulus walked into just such a trap.

Remus was corralling the boys when he heard an exasperated yell followed by “ _ BOYS! _ ” and heavy steps as a powder-white Regulus ran down the stairs, trailing a cloud of flour behind him. Sirius poked his head in from the kitchen and was floored with laughter. Draco’s eyes went wide with excitement as he leaned over to Harry. “I didn’t expect it to work that well!” he whispered and was immediately met by a sharp pinch on his ear from Remus as he tried to high-five Harry.

“Sirius, get off your butt and help me with these two troublemakers! Or clean up your brother. Or both!” Crying from laughter, Sirius waved his wand, only resulting in cascading water all over his brother turning the surrounding area into one sticky mess. Regulus glared at him, steel grey turning to daggers of ice, which only resulted in Sirius ending up on the floor yet again, followed by two six year old boys. Remus was left standing helpless in the mess, struggling with every fiber of his being to control his every urge to join the laughing huddle on the ground, knowing with every fiber of his being that one more thing would make Regulus explode. Instead, he waved his wand and began the work of setting everything right again.

A half hour, a now-dry but still fuming Regulus, a freshly cleaned living room, and a barely breathing Sirius later, the group left for Andi and Ted’s for dinner.

As soon as they apparated on the step, a wide-eyed girl with bubblegum pink hair and sparkling black eyes threw the door open, picked up Harry, grabbed Draco by the wrist, and ran off into the garden without another word. Remus shook his head, watching the three go as Harry bombarded her with an endless stream of questions.

“When did you get back? How is school? Did you get in trouble again? Is that why we’re running? When did you change your hair pink? How many detentions did you get this year? Have you met Draco? We make Uncle Remus and Uncle Sirius and Uncle Regulus run in circles like chickens with their heads cut off! Draco and I didn’t used to like each other but we’re friends now. Draco, you can call her Dora.”

And with that the three disappeared behind a bush as they rounded the corner to the back yard, leaving a deep trail in the freshly fallen snow.

“Nymphadora, get back here!” Andi dashed through the door and into the snow after her daughter.

Remus’ chuckle turned into a full blown laugh, followed quickly by Sirius. The two friends struggled to gain control of themselves and Ted came to the door. It was then that Narcissa chose to walk in on the scene, having watched the chaos from the gate. Wiping tears from his face, Remus joined Ted and Sirius in turning to looked at Regulus and Narcissa who were standing there, absolutely stunned and completely confused.

“Wha-?”

“Right. You haven’t met our daughter yet, have you?” Ted spoke up, a twinkle in his eye as he took in the bewildered pair. “She had the brilliant idea to throw food coloring into the pumpkin soup, making it a slime green when it’s supposed to be a golden brown. Whatever she used had the... added benefit of making the soup the actual consistency of slime. It still tastes wonderfully but it’s a bit...interesting to swallow.”

Just then Andi came around the corner dragging her daughter by the wrist, pink hair now a crimson red.

“Uncle Lupin! Nymphy got caught!” Harry ran up to the four men, a huge grin on his face, positively covered in white snow. Draco ran after him, similarly powdered. “Dora’s in trouble, isn’t she?” The young blond was smiling, though still concerned.

Remus crouched down and looked at the two boys. “Well, she did ruin Aunt Andi’s soup. So yes, she’s in trouble. But not too much. And of course she got caught. It’s hard to outrun an angry Aunt Andi. Remember that, boys.”

Draco screamed as kind hands and loving arms wrapped around him and spun him in a circle. Long, blonde hair covered Draco’s face as Narcissa showered him in kisses, making the young boy laugh. “Muuuuum, your hair’s tickling me.”

“Oh really? How about this?” Setting him down on his feet, Cissy proceeded to tickle Draco, making him fall over in the snow from laughter and weak knees, becoming even more covered than he was before. Everyone laughed, and even Andi paused to smile at her sister and nephew playing in the snow. “Come on, guys. It’s time for dinner.”

The group of nine filed into the house for dinner, lead by a still lecturing Andromeda and a very put-out Nymphadora.

The spread was impressive: a turkey, pumpkin juice, pumpkin pasties, and butterbeer for the adults were just the basics. Salad, bread, soda, and more sweets than Remus could possibly approve of were paired with the less desirable green beans, broccoli, tomatoes, and asparagus which the boys were forced to eat regardless of their protests.. Everyone got a cauldron cake at the end, pulled poppers, joked, laughed, and got into a few friendly arguments about quidditch, the ministry, and whether or not Hufflepuff was a worthy house.

It was well after the boys’ bedtime when they opened presents. Narcissa provided the boys with books and some new outfits. “They need to start learning more about our history, and I can’t have them running around in rags.” Andi and Ted gave the boys new snitches. “They were a bit too...rambunctious with the poor dears on their last visit, so I made sure the charm these with an unbreakable charm.” Regulus, Remus, and Sirius got the boys a huge bag of sweets. “We had to fight for hours for this, but Remus finally agreed given that they only got a small amount a day.” Sirius looked at the boys and winked. Harry and Draco smiled, knowing that that rule was going to be broken and Uncle Sirius was going to help them. Nymphadora handed the boys two walkie talkies, holding up a third of her own. “They’re charmed to cross any distance, even half a world away. So this way we can always talk, even when I’m at Hogwarts. And,” she added with a whisper, “I can give you tips on trouble making, and you to me. Dad says you’re both pretty good, even if you are little.”

The snitches were released and played with for a while until Ted’s favorite vase was knocked over and shattered. After a short reprimand and a quick  _ reparo _ , the rest of the evening was spent with the three kids hiding in different places in the house  testing out the walkie talkies and making devilish, yet mostly innocent, plans.

It was well past midnight when Sirius and Regulus carried the sleepy boys out of the house. Just before apparating away, Remus turned back to the Tonks. “We are going to see you this summer, right? Last time you were off gallivanting across Europe and Andi had to come home for the full moon, but we didn’t see a wink of Nymphadora and I know they boys would love someone else to mess with during the summer months.”

Andi just smiled, but Nymphadora was insistent. “We’ll definitely be here!”

“Not so fast, dear.” Ted interrupted, laughing at his daughter’s eagerness. “But my guess is that yes, we’ll be here.”

Cissy hugged Andi and left as well, promising to return for at least part of the New Years celebration.

And with that, everyone returned home. The children were put to sleep, only to be found awake an hour later still talking to Nymphy or, as Draco insisted, Dora. The three got a very strong scolding by a very sleepy Remus and the walkie talkies were hidden away for the time being so that the adults could sleep.

 

oOoOoOo

 

The following week was packed full of snowball fights, building snowmen, and several trips to Gambol and Japes in Diagon Alley which Remus strictly discouraged, but knew he could never prevent, short of gluing more butts to chairs  _ again _ and hand feeding the perpetrators with a spoon. When New Year’s Eve finally rolled around, the Lupin-Black household was armed with more Filibuster’s Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Fireworks than could possibly be safe. This treasure trove was hauled over to the Tonks’ to celebrate the passing of the old year.

As promised, Narcissa stole away from the usual Malfoy ball to spend a few too short minutes with her son and give Draco and Harry even more gifts: Draco got a small vanishing box which matched hers so that they could write each other secret letters at any point, and Harry was given a bottomless bag which could carry anything that could fit through the opening, where he quickly hid the walkie talkie and golden snitch he had gotten for Christmas.

Looking back, Remus reflected on what had happened. In the past thirteen months, the Black brothers were reunited (though not without daily disagreements), they gained a second child (almost by force), and they had had more trouble than Remus, Sirius, or Regulus could have possible imagined (courtesy of the boys). They had dealt with threats (Lucius and Greyback) and had come out on top, and in an amazing fashion to boot.

But more than anything, they had become a family.

 

oOoOoOo


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by ChipOfftheOldSoul.
> 
> A/N: Amalthea_Oberon insists that I apologize profusely for my very late update. My excuse is that I have spent the last 2 months: finishing one semester, moving, starting another semester, being far too involved in emotional drama and not having AO to coordinate with as easily anymore because she also moved and we're no longer roomies. Anywho, sorry, sorry and the next chapter (also mine, likely) should be up in the next week or two...and I've probably just jinxed myself by saying that. Love, Chip

No one was naive enough to believe their bubble of peace would last for long so it was no surprise when several months later found Sirius and Regulus fighting...again. Because, frankly, Sirius was being completely unreasonable.

“Remus, do something,” Regulus begged the more reasonable remaining Marauder. “Please.”

“What do you expect me to be able to do?” Remus asked. Unfortunately for Regulus, Remus seemed entirely uninterested in the dispute that had been raging back and forth between the Black brothers for the better part of a week. “If he’s not listening to reason, he most certainly won’t listen to me so why bother? Besides, Sirius is the boys’ parent as well; his opinions have to be credited in any major decision. You know the rules.”

“That’s why I need you to change his opinion, Remus. This is important. The boys have to be-”

“Yes, yes, I know. You’ve said it all before. And I’ll go as far as to admit that the boys do need to see the wizarding world sometime before Hogwarts, but it doesn’t have to be now. So just wait a while. He’ll come around in a few years. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a date.” With that, Remus left Regulus most-definitely-not-pouting and slumped against the kitchen counter, his argument, once again, squashed and forgotten. He didn’t think he was asking for anything outrageous, only a carefully planned, seemingly casual trip to Diagon Alley.

It was time Harry and Draco were presented to the wizarding world.

The boys had been to Diagon Alley before, of course, for their birthdays and a few other occasions. However, on each previous visit, the boys had each been cocooned in as many Glamours as possible in order to shield their identities. They had never walked down Diagon Alley because Sirius, Remus and Narcissa each made certain that the boys Flooed from shop to shop, visiting only those places necessary for their errands. The boys had never been allowed to explore the way they should or fully enjoy the awe inspiring world they lived in.

Harry and Draco were nearly seven years old and while they knew more magical theory than most wizard children their age, they knew almost nothing about the world itself. Draco had been five years old the last time he had been wrapped in a wholly magical setting and then, the Malfoys had kept Draco so sheltered he hadn’t actually gotten to enjoy the world for what it was. Harry had been similarly sheltered his whole life long, though he, at least, had also been granted unfettered love and attention. For a while, the boys’ careful shielding had been necessary.

However, they couldn’t afford to keep Harry and Draco secrets forever. Draco was heir to the Malfoy estate and, likely, the Black estate as well, depending on how things shaped up when the boys were older. Harry was heir to the Potter estate and was The Boy Who Lived. On slow news days, the _Daily Prophet_ still ran “Where Is He Now?” articles and told (blatantly false) sightings stories. Regulus, Remus and Sirius simply could not, in good conscience, let the boys’ first real experience in the wizarding world be on the Hogwarts Express where they would be fought over like the fortunes, titles and glories they represented.

So it only made sense for their first immersion back into the world to be a quiet and routine supplies run with Regulus.

They would attract attention, of course. Lord Black always attracted attention on his outings and having two, admittedly adorable, children with him would attract even more attention. It would only take a moment for people to recognize the dark, messy haired boy with a half-hidden scar on his forehead and the blond heir who still knew how to turn adorable into aristocratic. Two of the most potentially influential young wizards. Of course they would draw some attention. That was the point.

Regulus was still not-sulking-Sirius-shut-up when he sat down with Sirius, Draco and Harry for dinner and later when they endured the entirely too messy task of bathing the boys and later still when they finally settled the boys enough to put them in their beds. He was attempting to distract himself from his disappointment with a new transfiguration journal when Sirius flopped onto the couch next to him. He could feel Sirius’ expectant gaze without turning his head. “What do you want, Sirius?” He tried to sound bored.

Sirius was quiet for a long moment before he said, “You know I’m just trying to protect the boys. Always have.” Regulus stilled. This was the first time Sirius had brought the subject up.

“So am I,” Regulus said. “But I’m trying to protect their future as well. We cannot keep pretending like it’s never going to come.” Sirius sighed but otherwise remained silent, stretching out so that his calves rested on his brother’s lap. “Sirius,” Regulus continued, “you know I would never do anything to harm them.”

“This will expose them. That could harm them.”

“It’s meant to expose them, but I’ll be there watching over them. I won’t let anyone touch them.”

“I know you won’t.” Sirius was still for another beat and Regulus was impressed at his brother’s restraint. Usually he was yelling at this point, or, at the very least, fidgeting. “Let us come too.”

“Three adults will draw more attention,” Regulus warned, “especially if it’s you and me.”

“But we’ll also be better able to watch the boys and whatever crowd turns up.” Regulus opened his mouth to object again, but Sirius’ next words stopped him. “We- I need to be there. Please.”

“Yes,” he relented. “Of course you can come.”

 

oOoOoOo

 

Remus found them like that three hours later, Sirius still draped across Regulus’ lap, Regulus pointedly ignoring the insolent intrusion of his personal space and both of them fixated on the telly. “She dumps him,” Remus said, snorting at their choice of program. “And then he runs right back to the ex. It makes for a rather drawn out love triangle for the rest of the season.” When both Blacks turned to him with twin expressions of betrayal, the werewolf just shrugged. “What? It’s a rerun.”

“And you have a hickey,” Sirius said peevishly, jabbing at the remote control and turning off the telly just as the teary actress told her dashing counterpart, “I’m sorry, but I can’t live this lie anymore.”

“I do not,” Remus said, because he never let his dates get that far. “How long have the boys been in bed?”

The biggest surprises Regulus had encountered since showing up on the doorstep with his kidnapped cousin were Remus and Sirius’ dating habits. Back when they were all still in Hogwarts, most of the student body (and likely the staff) had assumed that the two marauders were a couple. It wasn’t so far a leap, Regulus supposed. Sirius was incredibly tactile with his friends, but James was forever gone over Lily and Peter seemed to have a weaker relationship-friendly or otherwise-with Sirius than the others did. Remus, of course, never dated in school because, Regulus now knew, of his lycanthrope, but back then, it appeared that the werewolf eschewed all time with witches in favor of his best friend for other reasons. That he had found them living together only confirmed this assumption, Regulus thought in the first few days.

Until one day in December only a months after Regulus had arrived, Remus had wrapped his scarf securely around his neck and announced he had a date and to not wait up. Sirius still regularly took the piss about Regulus’ initial, completely reasonable reaction.

Remus dated often when the moon wasn’t in the way, though rarely with the same woman twice because, he said, he had no intention of tying someone to his dangerous life. He rarely asked women out, but they approached him often with phone numbers, winks or dinner invitations. Sirius said it was because of Remus’ humble, but dashing, charm.

Sirius, on the other hand, never dated. Even Regulus’ occasional obligatory dates, and rare desired dates, outnumbered Sirius’ exploits. The only time Regulus had ever seen Sirius go out was when Remus had dragged him along for a double date.

Regulus had only brought the subject up once when he had been dressing for a date with a pureblooded socialite arranged by her optimistic but soon-to-be-disappointed father.

“I’m not interested,” Sirius had said, lounging on Regulus’ bed. Regulus had refrained from snorting and instead reached up to secure his now shoulder-length hair into a short ponytail.

“Of course you are,” Regulus had said. “It’s just a question of whom. Muggles maybe? You always were so interested in their culture. Or is it men? Muggle men?”

“No. I’m just not interested in anyone.” Regulus had stopped fussing with his collar to turn and look at his brother who was looking him frankly in the eye.

“No one?”

“Not really.”

“Never?”

“Nope.”

“Hm.” Regulus had returned to getting ready. “Okay.”

“Okay,” Sirius had chuckled. Regulus had, for a while, thought that Sirius was simply hesitant, like Remus and like himself, to bring anyone into their lives or close to the children, but as he watched his brother, he realized that, truly, Sirius was never drawn towards any person as a potential partner, though several women, and even a few men, had approached him. So Regulus let him be and Sirius happily babysat whenever the others were off on dates.

“So, since you two aren’t still bickering,” Remus said and lowered himself into the available armchair, “I assume you have finally come to an agreement?”

“Yes-” Regulus began, but Sirius barreled in.

“We’re all going to Diagon Alley!” Sirius sang, ignoring his brother’s glare. “One big family outing. So no dates,” he added pointedly looking for non-existent hickies.

“The usual then?” Remus ignored Sirius’ search. This time Regulus spoke over Sirius who was was now enthusiastically endorsing the Outing he had been loudly protesting for weeks.

“No glamors, no flooing shop to shop and no hiding,” he explained.

“That will just invite a crowd of gawkers which, I believe, was one of Padfoot’s worries in the first place,” Remus said.

“No, because we will not be making this a spectacle.” Regulus shook his head in disgust, imagining for a moment some oafish person parding Draco or Harry through all the major stops, loudly announcing just who they were escorting and welcoming the crowds which would gather to gawk at the Malfoy heir and the Boy Who Lived. “We’ll go on Thursday, when I make my usual supply trip and the regulars already expect to see me. We won’t announce their names. If people stop and ask to meet them, we will introduce them only as ‘Draco’ and ‘Harry’. We’ll be polite and brief. And if a crowd does get too close, all three of us will be there with our wands at the ready.”

“What will we tell the boys?” Remus asked, careful despite his apparent agreement.

“Draco won’t be particularly put off, I think,” Regulus said. “He knows the status that comes from being a Malfoy. Old habits will come back to him.”

“Not too many, I hope,” Sirius muttered.

“Harry, on the other hand,” Regulus continued, ignoring his brother’s complaints. “Will be considerably more...actually, what exactly have you told Harry? He knows about James and Lily, but the Dark Lord…?” He looked from Remus to Sirius. Remus cleared his throat. Sirius averted his eyes.

“Not much,” Remus finally said. “Only what related to James and Lily’s deaths. There was a bad man who tried to kill him. His parents protected him with their lives. He’s too young to understand the full scope of what happened. And-”

“And what?” Regulus demanded. How had they let this happen? Harry was entirely unprepared for how the wizarding world would latch onto him and claw at his fame. He would be vulnerable. Thankful witches and wizards would put him on a pedestal and expect him to be the hero they wanted, the savior they had been told he was.

“And we wanted to protect him from that knowledge.” Sirius spoke quietly. “He’s too young.”

“You’re protecting yourselves,” Regulus said, “again. In the long run, it’ll be no favor to him that he doesn’t know his own history.” Neither had an answer for him and he shoved Sirius’ legs off his lap, striding towards the hall. As he went, he said, “We’re going to Diagon Alley on Thursday. Tell him before then.” He didn’t listen for their assent.

 

oOoOoOo

 

Sunday dinner the next evening at Ted and Andromeda’s was undeniably tense. Regulus made his usual polite conversation, but turned cold and silent whenever Sirius or Remus spoke. Sirius replied in kind, giving his brother the cold shoulder while being more than usually polite to the other diners. Remus sat unhappily between them, having given up attempting to play peacemaker sometime during breakfast. Draco and Harry sensed the silent contention as well. They sat quietly, scooting their chairs closer together than usual and keeping up a steady stream of whispering between them, speaking up only shortly when an adult first addressed them. As their reticence became more and more pronounced over the course of the meal, Andromeda and Narcissa’s expressions became more and more frightening. Regulus stopped speaking to the women as well, turning his attention to Ted who was looking somewhat lost between all the unhappy faces.

“May we be excused?” Harry asked, cutting off Sirius repeating an unheard question to Draco.

“It’s impolite to interrupt, Harry,” Andromeda reminded the boy.

“Sorry,” Harry scowled at his godfather, obviously not sorry at all, “but may we be excused, please?” Andromeda sighed, but let it pass. Almost before the permission was out of her mouth, both boys had scrambled from their chairs, Harry close on Draco’s tail. All six adults looked after them with alarm and concern.

“I’ll go keep an eye on them,” Regulus said and pushed himself from his  hair. As he followed after the boys, he heard another chair slide back from the table and light footsteps trailed after him. A delicate hand tucked itself into the crook of his arm.

“I do hope you plan to explain all that to me?” Narcissa said.

“I needed to speak to you about the issue anyways,” Regulus agreed as he led her into the living room where the boys were playing and sat down with her on the settee.  Without preamble, he announced, “We’ve decided to take the boys out into Diagon Alley. A sort of...informal presentation, if you will.” Narcissa, always conservative in her expression and body language, became incredibly still. The only difference between her and the delicate statues she liked to collect was that her eyes glinted, carefully following Harry and Draco as they spread several toys across the living room floor. Regulus felt worry prick at the hairs on the back of his neck. When his cousin finally spoke, her voice was soft enough to not disturb the playing boys, but forceful enough to disturb Regulus a great deal.

“Is that not something I should have been consulted about first, Regulus?” Regulus very carefully did not flinch at the way she filled his name with ice.

“Which is why I am speaking to you now.”

“I believe you said you three already decided.”

“Perhaps I misspoke,” Regulus lied. To himself, he swore that the next time they were making a decision concerning the boys’ welfare, he would write Narcissa immediately rather than waiting to speak to her the next time they conveniently saw one another. She was far too frightening a woman to ignore. “The three of us have been discussing the issue this past week and came to an agreement only last night.”

A short “Hm,” expressed Narcissa’s disbelief, but she did not look at him. Instead, she watched Draco push Ted’s tall armchair over to where he had been stacking blocks. Taking an armful of blocks with him, he crawled up onto the squashy cushion to continue his skyscraper. Not to be outdone, Harry crawled up onto the chair as well, going a step further by balancing on the broad arm. “Harry, get down from there,” Narcissa chastised. “You could fall.”

“But I ride my broom all the time and I never fall off that.” Narcissa’s eyebrow rose at the pouting boy and held until finally he stepped down next to the snickering blond. Regulus watched in amusement. Silently, he agreed with Harry. The kid, both kids, in fact, were excellent flyers, both possessing the perfect balance necessary for seekers. Regulus secretly hoped Harry and Draco wound up in different Hogwarts houses so that he had an excuse to attend both their quidditch games, especially for when they were head to head. However, in Narcissa’s current mood, he was going to keep all Quidditch based thoughts to himself.

“Why have you decided,” she peevishly stressed the word, “that it is now necessary to expose our sons?”

“Because we cannot afford to wait,” Regulus said simply. For the first time since they had sat down together, Narcissa turned to face Regulus.

“Explain,” she commanded.

Collecting all the arguments he had used against Sirius over the last week, Regulus kept his voice low and began. “Draco and Harry are two of the most potentially influential seven year olds in all of wizarding Britain. Draco is heir of the Malfoy fortune and, as it now stands, the Black fortune as well. Harry is heir to the Potter fortune and, incidentally, the vanquisher of the Dark Lord. When they go out into society, people are going to want them. They will fight over Draco and Harry to try to get their favor or to exercise influence of them. If we continue to keep the boys so sheltered, they will not have the skills or experience to hold their own when they don’t have us to shield them anymore. They will be swayed by the other students, by the staff and--Salazar forbid--by Dumbledore and we will not be near enough to help them.

“If we expose them to our world now, though, they will be able to make their own opinions and decisions, already confident in their own selves. No one will be able to beguile them into-”

 _“No one would dare!”_ Narcissa hissed. Her previously icy eyes were lit with rage.

“Was that not what happened when we were in school? I was Marked before I received my OWL scores. Sirius and their group of child soldiers had sworn themselves to the Order of the Phoenix long before they graduated. There may be no war at the moment and maybe Dumbledore will be wrong and the boys will never be faced with war, but there will still be people who will try to use them and it would be the epitome of irresponsible parenting to leave them vulnerable in a world that, given the proper tools, could manipulate them to its own advantage.” The block tower had finally grown as tall as either boy could reach, even with Draco carefully using Harry as extra leverage. In celebration, Harry pushed the whole thing down, the blocks jarring as they clattered together.

“Very well,” Narcissa finally said. “I agree. It is time for the boys to learn how to navigate our world. However,” she added, “what do you plan to do about the media? They will latch onto Harry, of course, but they will also take an interest in why Draco might be with the three of you. They will find the record of guardianship filed with the Ministry, even as deep as I’ve hidden it.” She took a breath and held it for a moment so that when she spoke again, it came on an exhale. “Lucius will know. He’ll find out everything.”

Damn. Regulus had spent so many years avoiding and ignoring the media that he no longer consciously considered it when making a decision. He hadn’t needed to since the melee from the end of the war had died down. And up to this point, Narcissa had handled Lucius so elegantly that they had yet to have an issue with the Malfoy patriarch.

“We will discuss it with Sirius and Remus tonight before we leave,” Regulus promised. With a glance at Draco, Regulus lowered his voice again. “Narcissa, will you be in danger at the Manor if this catches attention?” Narcissa licked her lips, breaking her usually strict composure.

“I don’t believe so,” she said. “If there is a spotlight on us already, Lucius will be careful. He won’t hurt me.” Her voice was firm, but her eye twitched.

“Narcissa, you know you’re welcome-”

“I will be fine, Regulus, thank you.” She patted his hand and he nodded along, knowing he could not sway his cousin. Stubbornness ran in the family.

“Shall we go talk to Sirius and Remus about the press, then?” Regulus asked, somewhat attempting to lighten the atmosphere.

“In a moment.” Narcissa had already returned to her cool demeanor. “Why are you three arguing?”

“We’re not arguing,” Regulus disagreed lightly.

“That’s true.” Narcissa arched a brow. “You would have to be speaking in order to argue.”

Regulus turned away to observe Draco and Harry. Instead of rebuilding their tower, they had split the blocks between them with only a little bickering and had begun building two opposing forts. The childish insults they tossed back and forth made it clear they were preparing for battle.

“They never told Harry why his parents died,” Regulus whispered. “He knows they died to protect him from a ‘bad man’, but further than that, he knows nothing. He doesn’t know about the war that tore our world apart. He doesn’t know about the traitors or the heros. He doesn’t know about the persisting prejudices. He doesn't know that all of Britain knows who he is and what he did. He doesn’t know that he destroyed the Dark Lord, let alone even know who the Dark Lord was. He doesn't know that all of the wizarding world thinks they have some sort of ridiculous claim over him, their “Boy Who Lived”. He is so utterly unprepared.”

“And what are you doing about it? Did you tell him?” They both watched the blissfully unaware, messy-haired child.

“It is not my place,” Regulus said. “I’ve told Sirius and Remus that they have to tell him. Before the outing.”

“And when is the outing?” She didn’t point out that having a date already planned would be a direct contradiction of his earlier lies.

“Thursday.”

“That’s only four days away. Is that enough time? It’s rather soon.”

“They’ve had eight years! Four days still isn’t soon enough,” Regulus said shortly. “They should have told him a long time ago. He spoke louder than he should have and both Draco and Harry turned to the adults, visibly nervous with the thick tension. They only turned back to their games when Regulus gave them as soothing a smile as he could paint on. Even then, their usual playtime noises were significantly quieter. Their childish battle abruptly ended and Draco abandoned his own fort to change sides and help Harry reinforce his.

“I don’t want them to lose that innocence,” Regulus whispered when their attention was safely back on the blocks. “I don’t want to scare them--they’ve both already had enough of that--but I don’t want anyone else to be able to control them with that fear either. And fear of the war or the Dark Lord could be used against either of them. Harry can be powerfully destructive when he puts his mind to it. With even a little teaching, if someone used that fear to direct him, they would have a weapon and Harry would be a danger to himself and others. And Draco is so protective, especially of Harry, that if someone were to threaten Harry, I cannot predict exactly how Draco would react. Potentially, he could cave into blackmail, putting others in danger. Alternatively, he could turn on the person threatening them and get himself in over his head.” Regulus dragged in a shaky breath. “Keeping information from those it concerns is never the safest option.”

“We will protect our sons, Regulus.” It was not Narcissa who had spoken. Sirius and Remus stood shoulder to shoulder in the doorway, expressions grim. Sirius’ tone was unusually stern when he added, “We always have.”

 

oOoOoOo

 

Though they had worked out basic plans with Narcissa before leaving Andi and Ted’s, the atmosphere was tense all the way home. Firm in their promise to tell Harry tonight, Sirius and Remus prepared their godson for bed, hurrying him along, while Regulus prepared Draco, letting him take his time. While Draco was in the bathroom brushing his teeth, Regulus wandered over to the boys’ bedroom door which stood only a few inches open. He heard Harry’s bed springs object when Sirius and Remus sat down having already tucked Harry in.

“Bambi, we need to talk to you,” Sirius said.

“No!” Though he remained silent in the hallway, Regulus gaped. While both boys were mischievous and often troublesome, neither was purposefully disobedient or disrespectful. If either was likely to openly butt heads with them, it was Draco who, had grown up pampered for the first years of his life. “I don’t want to talk to you. Where’s Draco?”

“He’ll be here soon, but we need to talk to you first, Harry,” Remus said. His tone was firm, though Regulus knew the werewolf was just as surprised as he was.

“No. You’re fighting and I don’t want to talk to you. I want Draco.”

“We’re not fighting anymore,” Sirius assured the little boy, but Harry didn’t want to listen.

“Go away!”

“Why is Harry upset?” Draco demanded apparently having heard the commotion from the bathroom. He still had toothpaste foam smeared on his lips, but either didn’t notice or didn’t care as he hurried toward the bedroom.

“No, Draco,” Regulus put a hand forward to stop him. “Sirius and Remus need to talk to Harry before we go in. It is important.” From inside the room, they heard Harry’s temper tantrum begin to wobble as the little boy began to cry.

“Not that important,” Draco said. When Regulus stood in his way again, Draco stomped his foot and in the first display of accidental magic he had exhibited since he had started being tutored, Regulus was moved. Literally, the carpet under his feet slid around Draco and dragged the man nearly all the way to the staircase. Draco’s eyes widened in surprise, but he took advantage of the accident and hurried into the bedroom. By the time Regulus reached the door after him, he had tucked himself next to Harry and was glaring at the three adults. Remus sighed, but the three men knew there was no way they could separate the boys now and he decided to go ahead anyways.

“Harry, we need to talk about why your parents died.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by ChipOfftheOldSoul.
> 
> A/N: 'A week or two,' I said. 'It'll be fine,' I said. Over a month and a half later, here we are. No worries, next chapter you'll be back with Amalthea_Oberon who tends to be a tad bid more reasonable with her time. Also, my roomies convinced me to do NaNoWriMo with them so even if A_0 finishes her chapter, like, tomorrow, really, really don't count on hearing from me until December, prob'ly. Anywho, love y'all. Chip

The belligerent expression on sweet, innocent Harry’s face dissolved into concerned confusion. Wrapped securely in Draco’s arms, Harry looked up at the blond boy who, for some reason, looked the tiniest bit guilty. Considering that Draco was always the far better bluffer of the two, that little expression of shame was concerning. Looking back at his parents, though, Harry said, “But I already know about that.”

“No, Harry,” Remus disagreed. “We told you  _ how _ James and Lily died, but we didn’t tell you  _ why  _ and we’ve agreed that now it’s important to explain--”

“But I already know,” Harry said again. His arms tightened around his brother’s torso and he said, “Draco told me.”

Regulus, Sirius, and Remus looked at one another, thrown off kilter by Harry’s statement.

“What...” Sirius finally asked, “what did Draco say about it?” Harry’s forehead crumpled, obviously not understanding the adults’ shock, and looked to Draco for reassurance. That stream of silent communication, so common in siblings, ran between them for a long moment that left the three men on the edge of their metaphorical seats.

“He thought that killing me would make him more powerful, but mummy and dad tried to stop him and so he killed them, but when he tried to kill me, he died instead.”

“‘He’ who, Harry?”

With one more glance at Draco, Harry whispered, “The Dark Lord.”

Though out of the corner of his eye, Regulus noticed Sirius and Remus freeze before heavily sitting on the edge of Harry’s bed. However, his attention focused on the way Draco flinched like the uttered title had slapped him.

“Draco,” he said, cutting off Remus, “where did you hear about the Dark Lord?” Because the answer was so obvious, but he had let himself believe that surely Narcissa would have protected her son from his father’s self-destructive beliefs and that Lucius was concerned enough about righting his social image that he kept all thoughts of their fallen master to himself. But of course neither of those had happened. Fate had not been so kind to Draco. Regulus should have known that long ago. He had failed the boy he had sworn to himself that he would protect.

The already pale boy blanched further. Instead of answering, he hid his face in Harry’s bush of hair. Regulus couldn’t even bring himself to be frustrated with his boy’s affirming non-answer.

Of those who lived through the war, there were three groups. The first group was made up of the majority of wizarding Britians. This group referred to that old, maniacal dictator only in whispers and never by either of his chosen names. “You-Know-Who,” and “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named” they hissed to one another as if referring to him directly would attract his attention and bring his wrath down upon them.

The second group was made up of the few brave idiots who valiantly fought against the dark regime. They called the man by his chosen name, ‘Voldemort’. When Regulus had mentioned this, Remus had returned with a muggle proverb that said that naming an enemy reveals more about your weaknesses that your opponent’s.

The last group was the one Regulus was most ashamed of: the Death Eaters. The Death Eaters who worshipfully referred to their master as their Dark Lord. The men and women who blindly followed him like the beggars they were. Regulus would forever hate himself for having been one of therm.

“Draco,” Remus pressed. 

Though slightly muffled by Harry’s hair, Draco’s voice was clear and stable, without a single tremble when he said, “Lucius.” 

Regulus began sifting through useful curses in his mind. Lucius was a despicable parent--they knew that already, of course-- but to be raving about the beaten megalomaniac around such a young child...there was a very useful curse that caused every word the victim used to coat their mouth with acid.

“Maybe drop the murderous expression, yeah?” Sirius whispered, facing Regulus so as to hide his words and his brother’s apparently dark expression from the boys. Carefully rearranging his features, Regulus stepped out from behind his older brother and went to the bed, sitting down on Draco’s side. Sirius wedged himself on Harry’s other side and Remus took the foot of the bed. Still curled around Harry, Draco leaned into his cousin and Regulus stroked his fringe.

“What did Lucius tell you?”

Draco shook his head. “He was wrong!”

“Yes he was,” Remus agreed, “but could you tell us anyways?” Draco was trembling and Regulus wanted to stuff Remus’ words back down his throat. However, he was, unfortunately, correct; they needed to know what filth had been put into Draco’s mind so that they could make sure everything was completely expunged. So instead of arguing with the other man, Regulus smoothed a soothing hand down Draco’s arm while Harry pet Draco’s face. It took several long minutes before Draco was ready to speak, but no one pushed him. 

“He misses the Dark Lord,” he said. Regulus was startled by how clear Draco’s voice was despite the fact that beneath his hand, the boy was still shaking like a leaf. “He thinks the Dark Lord was right and he wishes he had won so that there wouldn’t be anymore m-mudbloods,” the first stumble came over the word Draco had long since left behind, “and purebloods would be in charge.” Suddenly, he twisted, letting go of Harry and burrowing against Regulus. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Harry, I’m so sorry!”

Agitated over Draco’s fear and the loss of his warmth, Harry anxiously patted Draco’s arm trying to press closer, face crumpling when he only pulled further away. “It’s okay, Draco, it’s okay!” Harry tried to cry over Draco’s rambling apologies, but Draco only shook his head. Regulus felt tears soaking the the front of his robes where Draco’s face was pressed.

“Draco,” he hesitantly began. He shifted so that Draco was sitting fully on his lap, holding him slightly away so that he could look Draco in the eye. “Whatever it was, I promise we do not blame you. Harry does not blame you and I do not blame you and Sirius and Remus do not blame you, but please, we need you to tell us what you told Harry.” Draco’s watery eyes seemed to be begging for something. Understanding maybe, or forgiveness?

“Lucius said the Dark Lord should have won. Th-that it was good he killed Lily and James and that he should have k-killed Harry too!” He looked back at Harry again with that same unnamable emotion. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Harry. He was wrong! I’m glad you’re here with me and I wish James and Lily were here, too, because they were good and kind and they loved you and maybe they would have loved me too and--” Regulus pulled the sobbing boy back against his chest.

“Draco, that is not your fault. None of that is your fault.”

“But my father--”

“Is wrong, just like you already said,” Regulus interrupted. Sirius looked too angry to speak, barely anchored with his arm around Harry, and Remus looked nauseous so Regulus kept the boys’ attention on him. “But more importantly, Draco, Lucius is not here and he will never hurt you again. You are important to us. And we’ll keep you safe with us.”

“You promise?” Draco begged.

“I promise,” Regulus swore. Both Sirius and Remus nodded their agreement as well, but Draco was looking once more at Harry.

“Do you hate me?”

“Never.” Suddenly, Regulus had two small boys tangled on his lap. Harry had flung himself at Draco and they hugged as tightly as they ever had. Sirius and Remus were gaping at one another and Regulus found himself in agreement. They had not planned the conversation to go this direction and he wasn’t sure how to pull it back into something recognizable. Absently, he smoothed circles on Draco’s back until their shuddering sobs stopped.

Regulus found himself exhausted and wished that they could call it a night and try this all again another day. However, the more rational side of his mind reminded him that it would be easiest in the long run if they continued. Especially since he hoped to never touch this conversation again. Though he knew all that, he also knew that he wasn’t going to be the one to press the subject and separate the boys.

Remus was kind enough to take up that job. “Boys,” Draco and Harry reluctantly untangled themselves. Still holding hands, they looked at Remus bleerily. “There’s still something else we need to speak about.”

“What?” Harry protectively pulled Draco close. Remus looked at Regulus obviously passing the responsibility to the one who had inflicted the conversation on them all in the first place.

“We will all be going to Diagon Alley on Thursday, but this time, we will not be disguised,” Regulus announced.

Harry’s already usually thin patience finally snapped and he scowled. “So? What does that have to do with my parents?”

“Harry,” Remus warned, but Regulus waved him off.

“It matters because just like Draco knew about the Dark Lord and what he did to you and your parents, the rest of the wizarding world knows as well. Most of them think that you’re a hero. They’ll try to get to know you or to use you.”

“How?” Draco demanded and the corners of Regulus’ lips twitched.

“He’s very famous and because of that, a lot of people will try to get close to him. They’ll flatter him or make him promises if he’ll do things for them.”

“What about Draco? Will he be famous too?”

“Yes, but for different reason. Because the Malfoy line has always been very rich and powerful, he could also be a target. Both of you need to be very careful who you talk to when we go out. And people may try to crowd you or persuade you to leave with them.”

“I don’t want to go with them,” Draco said. “They might make me go back to the Manor.”

“And we won’t let them,” Regulus promised, “but you must stay close to us.”

Eventually, both the boys were settled and persuaded to try to sleep though they still refused to be separated and were both tucked into Harry’s bed. “S’rus,” Draco called when the three men began to leave. “Can Padfoot stay here with us?”

“‘Course, Dragon.” Without another word, Padfoot had taken his place and hopped onto the bed. Rather than settling on the foot of the bed, he snuffled up between the boys, both of them latching onto him, their short fingers tangling into his fur.

Regulus and Remus didn’t speak as they collapsed on the living room couch. A half hour later, Padfoot padded in as well. Not bothering to transform back into his human form, he jumped up next to Regulus and laid his heavy head across his brother’s lap. He gave an unhappy whimper and Regulus pet his head as comfortingly as he could muster. “Me too,” he said. “Me too.”

 

oOoOoOo

 

The trip had started out nicely, but the ease with which they had first wandered the Alley with the boys was quickly disintegrating. Rather than flooing in through the always busy Leaky Cauldron, Sirius and Regulus both held one boy carefully and apparated into a bare stretch of street, empty thanks to the weekday morning. “That feels weird,” Harry complained, face scrunched up as Regulus set him back on the ground.

“Sorry, Bambi,” Regulus mussed the boy’s already uncontrollable hair. “It’s easier than flooing.”

“Well I don’t like it.”

“But we do it all the time,” Draco reminded him, “when we go to Aunt Andi’s.”

“So?” Harry pouted stubbornly.

Usually, Regulus would walk directly to Slug and Jiggers Apothecary and return home quickly. However, this was the boys’ first opportunity to explore the Alley so he let them wander, carefully. They scurried from one store front to the next, faces pressed against the glass, occasionally begging to go inside. They visited Quality Quidditch Supplies and the Magical Menagerie. However, when they visited Gambol and Japes Joke Shop, things turned decidedly unpleasant.

“That’s quite a lot,” the graying shop woman laughed when both boys unloaded their armfuls on the counter in front of her. “Your parents better get ready for some trouble, hmm?” she said to the boys while winking at Remus.

“Padfoot says we need to learn early,” Harry grinned looking directly at the woman for the first time since the five of them had walked into the bright shop. She opened her mouth to respond to Harry’s declaration, when Harry reached up to shove his too-long bangs out of his eyes and her words warped into a strangled gasp.

_ “Harry Potter?” _

For one moment, the shop was very still. Then Harry and Draco stepped closer to one another until their arms were pressed together from shoulder to wrist. Sirius left the shelves he had been poking through to stalk forward and draw himself up to his full, not-as-impressive-as-he-would-like height. Regulus, who had been keeping an eye on Draco’s sticky fingers, snapped his gaze to the woman’s awe-filled face. It was Remus who slid forward easily.

“Yes,” he said. He was smiling soothingly, but it did not warm his eyes. “We are enjoying a family day out and would appreciate your discretion.” She did not appear to not him though as her eyes slid to the other boy standing defiantly in front of her. Her forehead crumpled in confusion and Regulus held his breath hoping she would not recognize the blond boy.

Luck was not favoring him.

“Surely not,” she murmured finally turning her eyes on the tense Black brothers. “The Malfoy heir?” Her hiss was poisonous with only the barest hint of the respect that should be afforded such an old and wealthy family.

“Indeed,” Sirius said dryly, setting a hand on each boy’s shoulder. “And they would like to make purchases. If you could.” The woman looked torn, eyes still darting from one boy to the other. Regulus hung back. With both Sirius and Remus already standing just behind the boys, for him to step forward as well would only appear threatening. Mechanically, she began ringing up the items Harry and Draco had dumped on her counter. She remained silent, biting her lip until she was done and they had paid. Remus gathered their things quickly and the five of them nearly made it out of the shop before she called out, apparently unable to restrain herself.

“Don’t you think that’s dangerous?” she demanded. Regulus turned back to her, mouth twisting into a scowl when he saw how she watched him like she would a toxic slug.

“No, we don’t.” He met her critical eye with his own.

“Lucius Malfoy killed people!” Her fury and fear had finally broken from her control and she lashed out. Behind him, Draco shifted and Harry mirrored his movement. Sirius stepped forward so that he stood shoulder to shoulder with Regulus while Remus stayed behind with the boys. “He killed people like my husband and brother-in-law and I guarantee that he was involved in the Potters’ murder. How dare you raise their sons together. That boy will only hurt Harry Potter and it will be all your fault!”

“No!” Harry shoved forward from between Regulus and Sirius, both of them instinctively reaching forward to hold the righteously furious boy back. “Lucius is bad, but Draco is good and he’s my brother and you don’t know anything about him!”

“Harry,” Regulus put a warning hand on the belligerent boy’s shoulder.

“He is right,” Sirius said, addressing the woman. “You don’t understand the situation so it is not your place to comment.” She seemed to swell with anger, but before she could erupt yet again, Regulus gave her a curt farewell and steered the others out of the shop. They were several shops down when Sirius finally broke the silence with a loud huff.

“Well she was a b--”

“Language,” Remus warned sternly.

“...bundle of joy.” Remus raised an eyebrow at Sirius’ blatantly false innocent expression.

“We knew it was going to happen,” Regulus reminded them, “though that particular argument was…”

“She was stupid.” Harry’s expression was scrunched and Draco, who had not spoken since the woman recognized him, silently held a closed fist out to Harry. Regulus was confused by the gesture until Draco uncurled his fingers revealing a tangle of metal shapes; a toy puzzle that Regulus knew they definitely hand not purchased.

“Draco,” Remus sighed, obviously coming to the same conclusion Regulus had: Draco’s sticky fingers had been at work again. “We talked about this. You can’t keep stealing. Firstly, because it is wrong and secondly, because people will be watching you more carefully now.”

“But she was mean,” Draco said with the certainty that only a child can maintain. “And no one ever catches me.”

“That is not the point,” Remus pressed. “It is wrong to steal, it hurts people, and besides that, it is illegal.” Draco frowned, but said nothing, intently focusing on untangling the puzzle instead. “Regulus, please,” Remus begged.

But Regulus only shrugged. “He hasn’t been caught yet.”

“And she  _ was _ mean,” Sirius agreed, swinging Draco up into his arms and playfully nuzzling into his kid’s hair. Draco’s giggles drowned out Remus’ sigh.

They wandered the Alley for several more minutes when a loud voice stopped them.

“Sirius Black! You sonuvab--”

“Language!” Remus snapped at the approaching man.

“Well, he’s not wrong,” Sirius muttered, face stretching into a grin. “Hey, Dung.” Draco and Harry broke into giggles at the name, but Mundungus Fletcher didn’t seem to mind. However, the giggles caught his attention.

“Well, well, well. Who is they then?”

Regulus knew Mudungus ‘Dung’ Fletcher by reputation only. To put it plainly, the man was a crook. He was a mostly petty thief and most of his  _ procurements _ ended up on the black market. His products were never guaranteed and Regulus had never needed to stoop to that level. He had the money, resources, and connections so he would never need to. However, Sirius obviously had some sort of connection with the man. They would be having a serious conversation about that later.

“These are our boys,” Remus said smoothly. “Harry, Draco, say hello to Mr. Fletcher.”

“Hello, Mr. Fletcher,” Draco smirked.

“Hello, Dung,” Harry’s smile was too innocent.

_ “No.” _ Dung’s eyes flashed from the boys to Sirius to Remus to Regulus. Regulus put a hand on Harry’s shoulder. “It’s not Harry Potter,” Dung’s eyes combed Harry’s bangs, “and young master Malfoy,” his calculating gaze turned to Draco still sitting on Sirius’ hip. Draco and Harry wisely stayed silent.

“Harry and Draco are our godsons,” Sirius said. “And we are visiting the Alley today so if you’ll excuse us.”

“How about I come over for a drink tonight,” Dung interrupted with  a hand on Sirius’ retreating shoulder. It pained Regulus to see how close that likely filthy hand was to Draco’s face. “We haven’t chatted in a awhile.” Sirius froze before looking over his shoulder cooly.

“I don’t think so, Dung. Maybe some other time.”

“When?”

“Dunno. I’ll get back to you. Excuse us, please.” He jerked his shoulder out of the greasy man’s grasp. Regulus scooped Harry up and he and Remus followed quickly, leaving Dung standing in the middle of the road. Several people marked their hurried retreat, but no one followed after them.

“Mundungus Fletcher,” Regulus hissed at his brother who was, apparently, stupid enough to maintain contact with a money hungry black market dealer while serving as guardian for two of the highest profile children in Britain.

“I haven’t seen Dung since the war, I swear.”

“Well he acts awfully familiar for having not seen you in six years!” 

“Dung’s always been like that,” Remus interrupted. “Can we take this off the street?” People were still staring at the Black brothers’ mounting argument. Grudgingly, they followed him into Flourish and Blotts. As they crossed the threshold, they released Harry and Draco back onto the floor. With only a glance at the men, Draco dragged Harry into the maze of bookshelves with a whined “I want a book about dragons.”

“But you already have three!”

“But I read them all and I need another.” Harry groaned, but obediently followed easily enough.

“You have to be selective in your associates when you’re in the position we are,” Regulus picked up the argument again.

“I know that!” Sirius spat back. “Obviously! I’ve been doing this long than you have. Do you honestly think we would have lasted this long if we weren’t careful?”

Again, Remus cut off Regulus’ retort. “You know he’s telling the truth, Regulus. We have not seen Mundungus since we were in the Order. Mundungus has always been overly familiar; it helps him in his trade.” He paused to make sure Regulus was meeting his eye. “We would not put the boys in danger like that.”As his temper calmed, Regulus felt his good sense return and he nodded reluctantly. Sirius and Remus knew, for the most part, what they were doing. They were extremely careful with whom they associated so much so that they had nearly cut themselves off from the wizarding world completely before Regulus had come along. They interacted with their muggle neighbors, but still remained politely distant. They had both isolated themselves for Harry, then again for Draco. “I’m sorry; you’re right,” he conceded. The bell over the shop door jingled as a blonde, brightly dressed woman stepped in and the three of them stepped away from the front of the store, following in the direction the boys had gone.

Draco looked up at them from his books with a critical eye, but it was Harry who spoke. “Are you done being stupid?”

“You overestimate them, Bambi,” Remus said dryly over the Blacks’ protests.

All three of the men sat on the floor with the boys, letting Harry and Draco babble about the selection of books they had already piled around themselves. Draco leaned into Remus, demanding to know more about his favorite magical creature. Harry climbed onto Sirius’ lap and ordered him to read the story of the witch who refused to clean her house and to “use all the funny voices”.

“...and the muggle from next door came poking around, looking for that truly terrifying smell,” Sirius was saying when the brightly dressed witch from before rounded the shelf and into the children’s section. He heels clacked irritatingly on the hardwood floor and a poison green bag swung from the crook of her arm. Her smile was wide and plastic and her eyes stuck instantly to Harry and Draco. Regulus knew he had met the woman before, but could not put a name to the untrustworthy face.

“Why, hello there,” she said. “Who might you be.” It was not a question. Regulus was proud of the fact that neither Draco nor Harry flinched away from her overbearing intrusiveness.

“May we help you?”   
“Are these your sons?” she asked instead blatantly ignoring Remus’ question.

“Our godsons,” Regulus said sternly. “Who are you?” The woman finally turned to him a hard look in her eye.

“Silly me,” she said with an edge, “of course. My name is Rita Skeeter. I write for the Daily Prophet. And your godsons here look an awful lot like Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, isn’t that interesting?” And suddenly Regulus knew exactly where he had seen her before. Just after the war, she had been a new reporter, clawing for her own spot in the limelight. She had been one of the ones to harass him after he had come back out in public after his assumed death. However, most recently, she had been one of the many reporters slinking around that gala at the Malfoy Manor.

Remus also recognized her name, the only one of them with the patience to consistently read the Daily Prophet these days, and he shifted his arm around Draco. “Isn’t it indeed,” he said.

Regulus hadn’t seen her unclasp her handbag, but suddenly she was pulling a long green quill and a thick notebook from its depth, smiling that dangerous smile again. “You wouldn’t mind doing an article would you? Nothing long of course, just a little blurb. Public interest really, I--”

“No. Not interested.” Regulus kept himself from reacting to his brother’s words. Wouldn’t Sirius ever learn some amount of subtlety or tact.

“No thank you,” Regulus said instead. “We are just out for a quiet family trip today. No need to cause a ruckus over it.” He smiled his most pleasant icy smile.

“I doubt my readers will feel the same. Just one moment, if you’d please.”

“I don’t think so,” Sirius said. Without another word, he hefted Harry up and stood, leaving the books behind. Remus followed with Draco who looked forlornly back at his dragon books, but Remus kept him carefully in hand, keeping the boy's sticky fingers still just this once, please. Both Sirius and Remus left quickly with the boys in toe and Regulus was left with the woman staring acidically after her escaping story.

“We’ll just have to reschedule for another time,” she said.

Regulus clipped after the others just as quickly as he could without sacrificing his dignity.

“Please don’t leave me with reporters in the future,” he requested when he met Remus and Sirius waiting just outside the shop.

“You are the most experienced dealing with them,” Remus pointed out.

“Then you had best learn, I think.”

Deciding that they and the boys had had enough attention for the day, Remus and Sirius let Regulus lead them all to Slug and Jiggers, where the familiar shop assistant was kind enough not to comment on the fact that he recognized both boys and Regulus tipped him handsomely for it. After they had put the boys to bed that night, Remus didn’t complain when Sirius pulled out the good scotch.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by Amalthea_Oberon
> 
> A/N: Probably spent way too much time doing this over doing other things. The rest of the month I'll probably be super busy, but I'll do my best to get something submitted before Thanksgiving. Also, don't get used to how fast we pushed things out. It's not that likely to happen again (unless we're both completely ignoring our responsibilities...).
> 
> Anyway - enjoy!

The next morning, Remus was rudely awoken by the morning post being dropped on his head by a very demanding and inconsiderate owl. The scotch he had had the night before made his eyelids feel like lead and his head protest that it was in a vice. He pulled the  _ Daily Prophet _ off his face, glaring murderously at the circling owl.

“Don’t you have any sense of decency for my splitting headache?” The owl simply continued to circle, hooting defiantly. “Ya, ya, ya. I’m getting your tip.” Remus forced himself out of his chair and dug around in his overcoat from yesterday. Finding a few knuts, he got the bird to sit still long enough to shove them in the foot pouch and stumbled back to the armchair he had been so peacefully sleeping in.

Sinking in, his eyes began to graze over the words. The picture on the cover looked vaguely familiar, but he was too tired to really focus on the smiling faces of the five figures waving at him.

The article he was attempting to read was intriguing - all about three madmen, one recently back from the dead, who were raising two kidnapped celebrities. As Remus slowly woke up, his fists clenched the paper, threatening to tear it apart before he had reached the end of the article. Turning to the center fold, Remus finished the article, wishing he could burn Rita Skeeter for what she had done.

In one, simple, solitary night, their lives became a thousand times more difficult.

Throwing couch cushions at the brothers Black, Remus rudely woke them from their sleep.

“Moons. What the h-”

“Listen to this.”

“Listen to what? I’m sleeping.”

“No you’re not. Reg, you too. You need to hear this. Both of you.”

“The paper is never that interesting, Remus.” Regulus protested. “Let us sleep.”

“For the head of one of the most powerful wizarding families, you are rather lax on your social education. But besides that, this time the paper really  _ is _ that interesting. Listen:

 

_ "Regulus Black, having only come out of the woodwork in the last few years, not only emerged as the heir to the Black Family, but was seen yesterday with none other than Draco Malfoy, his previously missing godson and young cousin. Draco’s disappearance was never investigated seeing as it was never even reported by the child’s parents, but could Lord Black have coerced Lord and Lady Malfoy and paid off the Ministry to keep the whole debacle quiet? Could he have only come back into society with the intent of gaining control of the Malfoy family as well as his own? _

_ "Far more interesting is the appearance of none other than the young Boy Who Lived, Mr. Harry Potter. The young orphan, so famous for stopping You-Know-Who, has long been out of the public eye. Reportedly in the care of his Muggle aunt and uncle, sister and brother-in-law to the late Lily Potter, could custody have been viciously ripped from the cowering Muggles  by Harry’s godfather, Sirius Black, who was seen yesterday with the scheming Regulus Black and the two boys? Will Harry be raised to be the hero everyone expects of him, or will he be raised as a mischief maker like his father and godfather? _

_ "Remus Lupin, a known werewolf, seems to have taken up residence with the two brothers as well. But is it really wise to let such a ferocious animal near two innocents?" _

 

Here, Remus stopped. Sirius reached over and snatched the paper from his friend’s trembling hands. Remus watched Padfoot’s face grow redder and redder, blanching when he burst.

“What is she thinking?! To call you an animal, that’s insane. Anyone who’s met you knows that!” Sirius paused, sinking back into the couch. “She’s entirely ruined our peace.”

“She’s...not wrong. We’re lucky that nothing has happened so far. But what if-”

“No!” Remus jerked his head up at Regulus’ reaction. “No. We’re not going to let it happen that way. Would it be better if you weren’t? It would be easier, that’s for sure. But that does not make it better. You are just as much Harry’s and Draco’s dad as Sirius and I are. In fact, you’re the only level-headed one most of the time. So no. There’s no ‘what if’s’ about this.”

“But-” Remus’ protest was cut off by Sirius.

“Moons, for once he’s right. Nothing’s going to happen. Nothing.”

As touched as Remus was by the brothers’ faith in him, and as much as he tried to believe them, there was still that corner of his mind that told him to run and not look back. But he swallowed his pride and his fear and simply nodded. Standing without another word, Remus silently strode over to their sons’ door and quietly peered in. Draco and Harry were still asleep in Harry’s bed, their arms and legs sprawled every which way. Somehow, Harry had turned himself one hundred and eighty degrees and his foot was now pressed firmly against Draco’s cheek. The young heir slept on, oblivious to all the world.

Remus paused for a moment, taking the peaceful scene in. Then, steeling himself, he went about the business of waking, feeding, and dressing the boys, all the while listening to their complaints and urging them to obey.

The day continued like any other, the article seemingly forgotten, though always in the back of the three dads’ minds.

Remus took Draco and Harry to football practice. Regulus had initially rejected the idea.

“They have Quidditch! Why would they want a Muggle sport when there’s a pitch in my backyard?”

“Because it’s good for them to have friends, and Muggle friends are the only ones who not only won’t know who they are, but will have no preconceived notions of the Boy Who Lived or the Malfoy Heir. They’re going. Besides, this will help their hand-eye coordination and keep their stamina up. They’ll be better at Quidditch for it.” That last comment had instantly counteracted any argument Regulus could come up with. He loved the sport too much to force anything that could help the boys’ performance to stop.

For a moment, the world seemed to continue unaffected by the shattering article from that morning. Remus momentarily forgot his troubles as he watched the boys kick, chase, and pass the ball. He laughed on the walk home as Harry and Draco fought about who had done more in the game, which was only a practice in the first place. They decided to walk home rather than apparate in order to enjoy the afternoon sun.

Dinner that night was uneventful, and the boys went down as any young mischief makers do: not without a fight. By the end, the sofas were upturned, there were pillows everywhere, and the bath had overflown at least twice.

Eventually, Harry and Draco decided they had caused enough grief for one evening and happily went to bed, heads held high with the knowledge that it had been their choice.

 

oOoOoOo

 

Just as they thought the drama of the day was over, Narcissa rapped harshly on the door, her anger echoing throughout the house.

Remus opened the door and quickly stepped back as the fuming mother strode into the house, cornered Regulus, and exploded.

“You! You said nothing would happen. That it wouldn’t be a big deal. You said you would keep them safe from the public eye. You promised!”

The normally proud and regal man blanched at Narcissa’s outburst. “I didn’t mean-”

“Oh, a lot of people didn’t mean for something to happen. A lot of people only have the best of intentions. But you’re not a lot of people, Reg. You are heir to the Black family fortune. In fact, you’ve already inherited everything and  _ you _ let my son stand in front of  _ that woman _ and you didn’t do  _ your job _ . For Merlin’s sake, I have half a mind to take him back to the Manor with me. You’re lucky that Lucius didn’t read the paper today and isn’t normally interested in the scribbles of Rita Skeeter. But this. This is a different story. This is his son. Someone he hasn’t been able to find for years. And he’s going to latch onto any information he can and come after you!”

“I can handle myself. I’ll be fine.”

“I know  _ you _ can, and so can I! But what about Draco? Who will protect him?”

Stepping forward, Remus laid a hand on Narcissa’s shoulder, attempting to calm the mother bear. “Cissy, please. We weren’t expecting-”

“And  _ you _ .” Remus took a step back as Narcissa rounded on him. “Your condition. You promised it wouldn’t be a problem. But now it’s out in the open and any person on the street can attack you for it. You’ve brought the hammer down harder on them than these other two idiots.”

Sirius rounded the corner then. “That’s not fair, cousin, and you know it. We would never put the boys in danger and have take every single precaution necessary. Don’t take it out on Remus. It’s not his fault and if you were being rational you would realize that.”

“And you! You let all this happen, and you only perpetuate the mischief making of my son. He’s turning into a hellion. Any sense of dignity he used to have has been wiped from him. Your hatred of pureblood families and the fact that you ran away from home gives you no right to re-educate my son. He  _ is _ the heir to the Malfoy family and should act like it!”

Remus finally cut in, his stress and anger and frustration from the day mounting to boiling point. “They’re seven years old! No one needs to act like they own the world when they can’t even make vastly important decisions yet! Let them be children. Let them live and laugh and not have to  _ worry _ if they’re being  _ proper _ enough. They aren’t puppets for some cruel and misplaced game the Sacred Twenty-Eight are playing. You’re right, we haven’t been as careful as we could have been. We could have left the shop faster, we could have shunned people we ran into, and we certainly could reign in some of the terror they choose to cause at times. But most of what you’re yelling at us for is  _ beyond our control _ . So take a breath and think about it rationally. You were just as on board with the whole plan as the rest of us. You knew the risks and you accepted them. This is as much on you as it is on us. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ve had a very long day and barely slept last night and I am going to bed before I have to listen to one more minute of you complaining about how much we are failing. We’re doing our very best, and that has to be good enough.” He paused here, fuming. Looking around the room, his gaze challenged anyone to oppose him. When they all wisely stayed quiet, Remus continued. “Now. I’m going to sleep. I would suggest you all do the same and we can talk about this tomorrow when we’ve thought everything through and when the boys aren’t in bed.”

And with that, Remus turned on his heel and took the stairs two at a time, shutting his bedroom door harder than he intended. Listening to the sounds of the others’ rather strained farewells, he sunk into the armchair by the small fireplace Regulus had insisted on magicking into the room. Pulling out a book he began to read, but it wasn’t five minutes before he slammed the cover shut and started pacing.

He had to do something. They were all right.

_ I am a menace. A menace under control, but we can’t always count on that. And I can’t trust myself to stay in control. I’ve lost that control too many times to count. _

As his pacing threatened to wear holes in the carpet, the moon rose and shone on the ragged man made even more worn looking by his anxious and rapid thoughts. He paused to look at the beautiful sight. The moon was a funny thing for him - absolutely stunning, but simultaneously threatening and terrifying. He imagined that if he ever came across a boggart, that beautiful celestial body would be its chosen form.

He was startled from his reverie by a small tap on the door and a muffled voice. “Moons. Let me in.”

Remus didn’t answer, simply turning his attention back to the moon.

“Moony, come on.”

With a sigh, Remus reluctantly opened the door, revealing a concerned Sirius. “You know she’s right.”

“Remus, that’s ridiculous.” Sirius pushed into the room, crossing his arms and staring at his best friend. “Are you even hearing yourself? You would never hurt them.”

“I know that. But that’s not me. That monster doesn’t know friend or foe. All it knows is pain and hurt and bloodlust and misery and destruction. That’s all it is and that’s all it causes.”

Sirius remained silent.

Remus knew what he was thinking - he couldn’t respond. He’d heard the same speech a thousand times before and he still didn’t know what to say.

But this time, it was different. Remus wanted to give up. “Now, with wolfsbane, I know it too and.” Here he paused, pulling his thoughts into something comprehensible, and continued in a smaller, more submissive voice. “Sometimes… sometimes it would be easier to just let it take over. To become what Greyback made me all those years ago. To truly revel in the freedom and wild abandon which is offered me by the full moon.”

Sirius’ response was entirely unexpected. Instead of reaching out and hugging his friend, or tousling his hair and telling him it was going to be alright, Sirius pulled back and decked Remus in the face. Grabbing his shirt collar, he pushed Remus back into the room.

“Now you listen here. You are not giving up. You are not abandoning Draco. You are not forsaking Harry. You are not leaving me behind to deal with everything on my own. Not again. You aren’t your monster. Greyback didn’t turn you into anything. You turned you into something, and it isn’t what you fear and it isn’t what haunts children’s stories.”

“But-” Remus’ weak reply was cut off by a small voice that made both men freeze.

“Uncle Moony. You’re not leaving us, are you?” Both marauders turned to find Harry peering around the doorframe, tears in his eyes. “Dad, you’re not leaving, right?”

Extricating himself from Sirius’ grip, Remus crouched down and opened his arms, embracing the boy as he ran over.

“You can’t leave. I already lost one dad and one mom. I don’t want to lose another. Don’t go. You’re not a monster, you’re my dad.” Remus pulled Harry in close and began to cry. How could someone so small love him so much?

Harry pulled away from Remus then, and pet his head. “There there. You’re alright.”

Draco came in, then. “Harry, I’m sleepy. Come back to bed.” Looking up, he saw his Uncle Moony crying, and ran over, throwing his small arms around Remus’ head. “Don’t cry. Here. I’ll kiss it all better.” And with that, Draco stood on tiptoe and kissed Remus’ cheek.

“I’m not going to leave, you two. I’m just sad.”

“Don’t be sad, Moony. They love you and need you. Heck, Reg and I need you.”

Remus just nodded. After a few minutes, he picked up the two boys and put them in his bed, magicking their favorite storybook over. It was one with dragons, which made Draco excited, and one with Quidditch, which got Harry jumping on the bed. It was well after midnight, but Remus stayed up with the two of them for an hour, rereading the story and acting all the parts out with Sirius. At one point, Regulus came and joined in the fun. By the end, all five boys were exhausted and fell asleep. Regulus wandered back to his bed, Sirius curled up on the armchair, and Remus cuddled the two boys in his bed.

All was quiet.

 

oOoOoOo

 

The next morning, the adults were awakened by two little boys running around and jumping on beds.

“Pancakes!” They simultaneously demanded. “We want pancakes!”

“It’s eight in the morning.” Sirius sleepily replied.

“I will never quite understand how you two have so much energy, no matter how much sleep you got. It really is quite a wonder.” Remus followed the two downstairs and fixed breakfast, calling the groggy and grumpy Black brothers down.

The two stumbled down the stairs, hair wild and glaring at all the noise. Regulus, usually fully dressed and looking positively regal by seven-thirty, was uncharacteristically disheveled.

And it was then, in the midst of the hubbub of the morning, with the boys running around the house half naked and refusing to put on pants, that Lucius chose to invade their loving, if albeit chaotic, little home.

A faint  _ pop _ sounded from outside, followed up the front door banging open.

“Draco! Pack your things. You’re coming with me.” The voice was demanding, and bespoke a man who wasn’t accustomed to being questioned, disobeyed, or challenged.

The young blonde froze where he was. Remus glanced over at the young boy, a shiver tracing its way up his spine at the sound of his former classmate’s demand. “Draco. It will be ok. Stay here.”

As Remus stood to leave, Harry ran over to protect his big brother. Grabbing his wrist, he pulled the trembling Draco under his bed. As he quietly closed the door, Remus breathed a prayer that his little ones, his Dragon and Bambi, would stay safe. Flicking his wand towards the handle, he sealed the door shut. If anyone attempted to open it without the correct spell, it would be nothing more than a simple broom cupboard. Remus smiled, thanking Regulus for his foresight and ingenuity, and turned to greet the cold, intimidating, absolutely vehement blonde who hadn’t even had the decency to knock.

Walking the hallway, Remus set his jaw, muttering under his breath. “And so it begins.” He met Sirius and Regulus in the room, and the three made an impenetrable wall, each determined to never give in to the conniving snake they found sitting leisurely across from them, surveying the room with nothing less than utter disdain.

“I hear you have my son. I’m taking  him back.” Lucius met each of the men in front of him with eyes of steel. The look he gave would have frozen most men where they stood. But not these three. These were men who knew how to look death in the face and come out swinging.

_ We started this. We’ll end it. _

 

oOoOoOo

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by Amalthea_Oberon
> 
> A/N: Sorry for being so late! As an excuse (because it's too late not to be one), Thanksgiving and Christmas happened, I got married, and I moved half way across the country. I also just got my WiFi set up (yay!) so...ya. I've also had a writer's block (@ChipOfftheOldSoul has been nudging me for weeks).

Sirius was the first to respond. “You can’t. We have legal custody.”

“Who authorized that?”

Remus put a hand on Sirius’ arm, stopping him from replying. They weren’t going to bring Narcissa to the wrath of her husband if they could help it.

Regulus stepped forward then, facing Lucius with his head held high. “Unimportant. It’s legally binding and that is all you need to know.”

Lucius’ face turned a shade of pink which did not quite match his normally regal stature. “You really think you can keep him from me? Well, then.” He almost spit in his anger. “You have another thing coming.”

Remus instinctively took a step forward, weight resting on the balls of his feet, hand hovering above his wand, poised for the smallest flicker of movement. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his two friends similarly prepared.

Remus turned his full attention to Lord Malfoy. “Only took you two years to care.” He quickly brought his wand to the defensive. “ _ Protego! _ ”

The white light of Lucius’ silent spell broke on the shield, spinning off into the room.

Sirius, ever the protective friend, took a step forward, ropes shooting out of his wand, snaking towards the infuriated blonde.

“ _ Diffindo! _ You’ll have to do better than that. I can’t be so easily bound.”

“Oh, shut it!” Stepping forward, Regulus raised his wand. “ _ Langlock! _ ” He had had enough of this stupid scene. Lucius glared back, unable to speak. The look in his eye was murderous and he simply raised his wand and cast a spell that crackled like red lightning across the room. Regulus cried out when the spell connected with him and he crouched as he struggled to withstand the pain. Lucius stepped forward, redoubling his efforts and bringing Regulus to his knees.

Remus, often the victim of the Cruciatus Curse during the war, had had enough. Stepping forward, he raised his wand. “ _ Stupify! _ ” Lucius, preoccupied with Regulus, crumpled under the spell, his lifeless form flying against the window, shaking the glass.

Sirius was already by his brother’s side, casting diagnostic and healing spells that felt far too familiar. “It’s been seven years since the war, and this-,” he paused, gesturing at Lucius and Remus, then continued, “-still comes second nature,” he muttered, shaking his head in a mixture of anger, disbelief, and disgust.

“Good thing, too,” Remus replied, binding Lucius and taking his wand. Using  _ levicorpus _ , Remus moved the bound lord into an armchair. The normally stately lord looked rather absurd dangling by his feet as his unconscious form slowly drifted towards the armchair. Remus couldn’t help but smile as he stuck him to the chair like he had with Sirius and Regulus on a happier day. Remus ultimately agreed with Sirius - it was incredible, though morbid, how much living and fighting through a war changed you. Even so, he couldn’t help but feeling grateful. If not for their readiness, if not for their experience, they would have been nothing more than leaves blowing in a vengeful wind. “We wouldn’t have been able to shake him off as easily otherwise.”

“Makes you wonder if he wanted to be beaten,” Regulus mumbled. “Merlin, that hurt. But Lucius was always known among the Eaters to be second only to Bellatrix in casting that curse.” Propping himself on his elbow, he groaned and decided the floor was more welcoming than the effort to stand and let himself collapse back onto the wood. He looked up at his brother and chuckled. “Look at you, Sirius. You would think I was an abandoned kitten by the look on your face. Let me reassure you - I’ve had much worse.”

“That’s not very reassuring.”

“I guess you’re right.”

Remus stepped forward, sitting hard on the floor. “What are we going to do? We have Lord Malfoy, leader of the Sacred Twenty-Eight and powerful influence of the Ministry, unconscious and bound in our living room.”

“We could always call Mad-Eye,” Sirius replied, leaning up against the wall.

“He’d bring Kingsley. Is that wise?”

“He didn’t last time. But if we call him on Order business, we’ll be able to trust whoever comes with him.”

Regulus interrupted their conversation. “What I want to know is how he found us.”

The two Marauders turned to the prone Regulus. “What do you mean?” they responded simultaneously.

“What I mean is this - I put more protections and defenses on this house than Grimmauld Place has. And every defense I put up, I recast three times and I maintain them all consistently. He shouldn’t even have been able to find us, what with the Unplottable spell I put up. And that in particular was redoubled five times, just to make sure.”

“What other wards did you put up?”

“ _ Cave Inimicum _ ,  _ Imperturbable _ ,  _ Protego horribilis _ ,  _ Protego totalum _ , and just  _ Protego _ . Then there’s  _ Salvio hexia _ and some stealth sensoring spells. And of course the Room-Sealing ward on the boys’ room-”

Remus bolted upright. “The boys!” Running to the door, he quickly countered the sealing ward and burst in. “Harry! Draco! Are you okay?” The two young children crawled out from under Draco’s bed, practically bowling the man over. “Moony!”

Sirius came in moments later. “Bambi, are you okay?” Harry peered up at his godfather over Remus’ shoulder and nodded.

Regulus also appeared around the door. “Dragon.” It was all he could say as he sat heavily on the floor. Draco unraveled himself from Remus and sat on Reg’s lap.

“Are you okay? You’re sweating.”

“I’m fine. Just a little tired, is all.”

Remus turned to the blonde, worried about his reaction. “Draco, we’ve got something to tell you.”

“I’m not going away, am I? I don’t want to! I want to stay here with you. I like it here. I have fun and laugh and don’t get yelled at. At least, not all the time, not when I don’t do anything wrong.”

“No, Draco. You’re not going anywhere. But I need you to know something.” Here, Remus paused, taking a deep breath. What came next wasn’t going to be easy for the young Malfoy to hear. “Your father. He’s sitting in the living room. He’s tied up and unconscious, but he’s still here in this house. So I want you to stay in here for now with Harry. He won’t be able to get in, not ever, but you have to stay here for now.” Remus turned to Harry. “Both of you have to stay in here. You'll be safe here, but only if you don't leave. Understand?”

Harry nodded.

Turning, Remus glanced over to Draco, “Alright, Dragon?” Hugging Regulus tightly, he nodded as well.

Remus watched a teary-eyed Sirius slowly backed out of the room to guard Lucius. Remus had known his friend for too many years to not understand that expression. The pain in his face bespoke many things. Most strongly the regret of not being able to do the same for Lily and James all those years ago - of not insisting on being Secret Keeper, of not being the friend and godfather he had promised he always would be, of not being there to do  _ something _ \- projected itself from the normally jovial face.

 

oOoOoOo

 

It took some time to calm the boys down enough to be able to leave, but eventually Remus and Regulus extricated themselves and joined Sirius who was watching a furious Lucius. Upon seeing them enter, he struggled unsuccessfully against his bindings. Regulus plucked Lucius’ wand from Remus’ hand, twirling and inspecting it carefully, testing its flexibility and acting unconcerned with the man tied up in their living room. Remus watched as Regulus glanced over at Lord Malfoy over the bowing wood, the pale man going entirely still and wide-eyed at the possibility of his wand being snapped in two.

Remus stepped forward, putting a hand on the younger Black’s arm. “Reg, that’s enough.”

Regulus rolled his eyes. “I was only teasing.” But he put the wand in his pocket just the same.

Sirius came level with the two, grabbing their arms and pulling them into the dining room, still with full view of the captured Malfoy. Tapping his foot, he quietly suggested, “I still say we call Mad-Eye.”

Remus turned to face his old friend. “But-”

“I know, I know, he might bring Kingsley, whose position in the Ministry does complicate things, but it could also give us a very good backing and standing for defending ourselves against  _ him, _ ” Sirius kicked a foot in Lucius’ direction, “if need be. It could give us the legal records we need to fight him off if necessary.”

Regulus chuckled. “Sirius. I really hope he’s not desperate enough to go to court.”

“Sirius is right,” Remus responded. As loathe as he was to admit it, if Lucius did bring this to a judge, they’d need substantial backing against the Lord of the most influential of the Sacred Twenty-Eight.

Remus watched Sirius’ face lose all color. “We forgot about Narcissa,” he whispered. “How are we going to protect her?”

The three men went quiet, warily watching the man in the other room whose wife had done everything in her power to protect her beloved little dragon. They had unknowingly and unwittingly put her directly in the line of fire of one of the most unforgiving men they knew. They had put an innocent and his darling, caring, cautious mother directly where they should never be.

“Should we specifically ask him to bring Kingsley, then?” Regulus quietly suggested.

“No.” Sirius replied. Remus agreed - they had done enough damage through their own choices. “We’ll ask him to bring whoever would be best if we need legal backing.”

Remus made the call and the three men settled down to wait.

 

oOoOoOo

 

It was only minutes before two successive  _ pop! _ s were heard on the street. Remus stepped forward, greeting the men.

“So. You decided to bring Kingsley, did you?”

“Well, with the mess you three got yourselves into, we needed someone in the Ministry and the Order. Sirius, Remus. You might be  trouble-makers but you both know better than this.”

Remus sheepishly grinned, leading the stately man who had done little but raise an eyebrow and the rather smart-alecky one into the living room, pointing to the increasingly angry blond who was still tied up on the chair, guarded by the two intimidating brothers.

“What exactly happened?” Kingsley finally chose to speak.

“Well, we were enjoying our morning, making pancakes and all, when he invaded our home and started a duel with us. We defended ourselves, tied him up, and called you.”

Muffled noises were heard and promptly ignored from Lord Malfoy, who was sure to be protesting everything Remus had said to the two Ministry men.

A short while later, Lucius was unbound - though he remained unarmed - and made aware of the legal pickle he was in. The legal documents, complete with character witnesses from multiple ministry workers, family, and friends were all pointing to the placement of the young Malfoy heir into the hands of Lord Regulus Black. Multiple names were placed in front of him, including Arthur Weasley in his interactions with both the father and son from the few times Lucius had brought Draco to the Ministry with him, as well as the Tonks’, who had witnessed much in the family gatherings they used to be somewhat welcome to attend.

Kingsley made sure to keep the instigator, initiator, and signer of the documents under a strict “classified” setting, protecting Narcissa at the avid request of the three men who stood protecting the young Malfoy and Potter boys.

As it now legally stood, Lucius was father to Draco only in name and blood, but in no other standing. He had, for all intents and purposes, been in all other ways renounced, though Draco was still legally his heir.

Lucius uncharacteristically remained silent during the whole thing, choosing to respond at the end with a simple “I see.” He requested the return of his wand, assured them he would not show up announced again, and with a loud  _ pop _ , vanished into thin air.

Kingsley and Mad-eye left, though not with a sense of peace.

There was a tension in the air which left the three men on edge, Remus’ hair standing on end as he waited for the storm he was sure was going to come.

  
oOoOoOo


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by ChipOfftheOldSoul.
> 
> For those who were confused about why Lucius wasn't arrested last chapter...AO and I were both Remus (you'll see) when writing/editing. Sorry. Thanks for all those who pointed out the discrepancy!

Because he could not risk apparating or flooing to Malfoy Manor, Regulus sent an owl to deliver his message, though he had very little hope that any warning would reach her before Lucius did. He sent off another note to Andromeda and Ted with Sirius and Remus’ old owl, just to keep them informed on this newest development. He didn’t expect anything from either of them immediately--Narcissa was likely dealing with Lucius and Andi and Ted probably wanted to discuss together how this all would affect them--so he was surprised when both owls returned quickly and together. Only the second owl carried a reply.

_Narcissa is here with us. All of you, come for dinner. -Ted_

It took a surprising amount of effort to coax Harry to come with them to the Tonks’, though. In fact, it took a shocking amount of effort for Harry to let any of them leave at all. Draco was easy, all but bursting to see his mother and dragging Remus along with him, who had reminded him that little boys could not travel across the country alone. Remus took Draco ahead while Regulus and Sirius stayed with Harry, using precious minutes trying to convince the boy to let go of them so they could all go see the Tonks. Harry kept wrenching them back each time either of them tried to stand from the bed. Small children, Regulus thought, should not be so strong.

“No!” Harry yelled again and clung tighter to Regulus’ robes. Regulus noticed Sirius wince at how tightly Harry squeezed the older man’s fingers.

“Harry, please,” Sirius begged. “We need to go and you _need to let go of my fingers_.” But Harry wasn’t paying attention.

“You said it’s safe here!” Harry said. “We need to stay here so we’ll be safe!”

“Oh, Harry,” Regulus sighed, finally understanding Harry’s fear. He crouched down to put himself at Harry’s eye level and tried to explain, “That’s for when we can’t be right here with you. If we can’t get to you or you can’t get to us, this room and all the wards we’ve put up will take care of both of you and it will protect you until someone--one of us or the aurors--can get here for you. But if we’re here with you, Sirius and Remus and I will protect you ourselves. You are always safe, I promise.” Harry’s face scrunched in on itself as Regulus spoke, but his grip lessened enough that Sirius’ purple fingers began to recede back towards red.

“Are Andi and Ted and Cissy safe too?” Harry asked. Regulus wasn’t sure if Harry was asking if Andi, Ted and Narcissa were safe in that moment or if they, too, would keep Harry and Draco safe.

“Yes,” Sirius said simply, effectively solving Regulus’ problem of answering both.

Harry pondered this for a moment before he nodded. He still didn’t let go of Sirius, but he did allow his godfather to take his hand back and then hoist him up into his arms.

“You’re getting a bit big for this, Bambi,” Sirius complained. He made no move to put the boy down and Harry did not deign to answer, only curling more securely into Sirius’ arms.

The three of them apparated to the Tonks’, Harry still stubbornly clinging to Sirius, where they found everyone in the living room waiting for them. Ted was pacing by the far wall while Andi and Narcissa were sat together on the loveseat. Draco was perched contentedly on his mother’s lap. Remus sat across the room in an armchair and barely looked up from his writing when they came in.

“Hey, Cissy,” Sirius nodded and carefully shifted Harry so he could ruffle Draco’s hair. “Sorry about sending all this your way. We knew it was a possibility, eventually, you know, but we definitely were not expecting it so soon.”

“Then you are an idiot.” Sirius gaped at his cousin, but she only straightened her already perfect posture. “Sirius Orion Black. I have been prepared for this day since I first left my son in your care three years ago.” Regulus felt the corners of his mouth twitch. Of course his cousin had always had a plan for this. They had always known that Lucius wouldn’t let Draco go if he knew how to find him. Narcissa wouldn't dare let herself be surprised the way Regulus and the others had been. She was too careful for that.

“What’s the rest of your plan then?” Sirius asked, but Narcissa nodded her head toward Remus who hadn’t yet looked up and didn’t until Sirius called his name. “Remus! What are you planning over there?”

“Well,” Remus hedged his words with a glance at Narcissa. “We need to stop Lucius from interfering again, in any of our lives.”

“Obviously,” Regulus said. Remus, and everyone else, ignored him.

“I think we should have him arrested,” Remus said.

Nearly everyone froze until Narcissa said, “I agree,” and all eyes swung toward her. Remus breathed an audible sigh of relief.

Sirius--while not actually disagreeing, Regulus thought--was displeased. “If Azkaban has been an option this whole time, why the bloody hell didn’t we have him arrested before?” he huffed despite the censure of ‘language’ from every other parent in the room. Draco and Harry, even with all the trauma of the last few hours, grinned across the room at one another and Regulus internally bemoaned the Why-Good-Kids-Don’t-Use-Bad-Words discussion that would no doubt be making a grand comeback in the next few days. Until then, however, Regulus had other problems.

“We didn’t have enough evidence then,” Remus said.

“We could have had Narcissa report something,” Sirius argued, though they had been over this point years ago on the first night Regulus had shown up with Draco.

“Lucius could have easily swept any accusations of child abuse aside in the name of ‘good, traditional pureblood discipline.’ At that point, Draco wouldn’t have known any better and without a solid testimony in our favor, no Wizengamot Council would have been able to convict Lucius, even if they did believe us. The collection of testimonials we have from his colleagues and our friends still weren’t enough, not without proof of intent on his part.” Remus’ usually calm tone had gained a heated edge that Sirius was stupid enough to not back down from.

“Perhaps,” Andi interrupted before Sirius could retort, “we should let the boys go play in another room?” Harry, now that he was surrounded by people he knew would protect him with their lives, was content to lean against Sirius, his eyelids drooping lazily. Draco, however, was paying rapt attention.

“No!” he protested. “I want to know! I’m not a _baby_.” He wasn’t a baby, but Draco was still a child. However, more importantly, he was a child of both the Black and Malfoy lines and, as they had already agreed, he would need to learn to handle his birthright early, before the wizarding world got ahold of him.

“I want to stay too!” Harry said, alerted by Draco’s protest. Regulus nodded to the other adults, leaving the decision to them. Sirius held onto Harry easily while Narcissa kept Draco on her lap as well, silently challenging Andi, who sighed but didn’t argue further.

“As I was saying,” Remus continued when the tension had finally eased out of the room. “Now that Lucius has moved against us, we have proof that he is a danger to others, including Draco. The fact that he used an Unforgivable on Regulus means that he’ll be sent straight to Azkaban without argument.”

“Then why didn’t we have him arrested when he was in our home attacking us?” Regulus demanded. “We had Mad-Eye and Kingsley and a scan of Lucius’ wand would have proven that he was _torturing me!_ ”

Remus looked uncomfortable for a moment. “I’ll be honest,” he said. “The Cruciatus was used so often during the war that in the heat of everything, I forgot that it was an Unforgivable.” Regulus noticed that Remus didn’t limit users of the Cruciatus to either side. The usually collected young man dropped his head in obvious shame and apology.

Regulus couldn’t find it in him to spare the other man much pity. “Well, I didn’t!” he yelled. “I thought we were trying to be discreet so I didn’t say anything!” He looked wildly to Sirius only to see his brother shrug.

“I was focused on getting back to Harry and Draco,” he said. Regulus dropped his head back to glare at the ceiling.

“Then let’s call them back already,” Regulus hissed. “We need to tell them that we suddenly remembered that I was tortured.”

“We will.” Regulus was almost glad to hear heat back in Remus’ tone. He had discovered that Remus being depressed only caused everything to become exponentially worse. “But we need to have this planned out well first. Don’t you agree?” Remus, who generally stood as the peacemaker in their home, who avoided conflict like he did moonbeams, held Regulus’ hard gaze with his own. It made Regulus feel like a child and he forced himself to resist the urge to squirm where he stood. Finally, Regulus looked away.

“Yes, yes, fine. What exactly do you have planned?”

 

oOoOoOo

  


They did call Mad-Eye Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt back that evening. The aurors met Regulus, Sirius, and Remus back at the Lupin-Black home only minutes after they had returned themselves. “You had better have been attacked again to be dragging me back here,” Mad-Eye greeted Regulus at the front door.

“Good to see you, too, please do come in,” Regulus said blandly, rolling his eyes and standing to the side so that the two men could enter.

“Hey, Kingsley, Mad-Eye,” Sirius nodded when Regulus brought the aurors into the living room. He had brought out the fire whiskey and was setting out five drinking glasses.

“Sirius, what did you do?” Kingsley demanded. Regulus snorted and Sirius ignored them both.

“Remus will be down in a few minutes. He’s just putting the boys to bed.” Mad-Eye dropped himself into one of armchairs and poured himself a liberal glass of firewhiskey, easily avoiding Kingsley’s raised eyebrow. Regulus followed Mad-Eye’s example while Sirius and Shacklebolt made light conversation about a recently closed case that had been in the _Daily Prophet._

 

oOoOoOo

  


“Check his wand,” Regulus pressed again. After Remus had come down, the three men had explain everything since Sirius had shown up with Harry years ago, to the two aurors. “The curse will be there, I promise.”

Mad-Eye blinked at him slowly before a lopsided grin grew across his lopsided face. “Black, if you’re telling the truth, and I get to haul Lucius Malfoy off the Azkaban,” he said, “I think I just might kiss you.” Regulus grimaced and across the room Sirius snorted, but otherwise Regulus ignored the comment.

“What are you three planning for when all this comes to light?” Shacklebolt asked.

“Legally, we have guardianship over Draco and, well, the Dursleys don’t care about Harry and if anyone argues about it, Sirius will submit memories of their negligence. No one can take either Harry or Draco from us and with Lucius in Azkaban, Draco will be safer and we’ll all be able to relax a bit,” Remus said.

“It’d be safer for Narcissa as well,” Regulus added. “I don’t know if Lucius has ever actually hurt her--physically, at least, because I don’t doubt there’s been verbal abuse before--but if there was ever a time when he would break, this would be it.”

“How has he not known she was connected to Draco’s disappearance before now?” Shacklebolt asked and Mad-Eye harrumphed in agreement over the edge of his glass.

“She never told us how she had explained Draco’s absence away,” Remus said, “but there was never any sort of investigation so I assume he was never suspicious.”

“Now though, your entire scheme has fallen through,” Shacklebolt pointed out, pointlessly, Regulus thought.

“We knew what would happen when we took the boys to Diagon,” Sirius scowled.

“Did you now?” Mad-Eye raised a bushy eyebrow.

“Well, mostly,” Sirius defended. “We didn’t know Lucius would outright attack us. We thought he would confront us through the court system where we could easily prove that everything we did was legal. On paper at least,” he added. Mad-Eye slammed his whiskey glass onto the table. Shacklebolt at least had the decorum to only roll his eyes. And sigh. Loudly.

“We will be pretending that we don’t know any of the truth about how those two boys came into your guardianship, but only because I know perfectly well that Remus and Regulus wouldn’t have agreed with any of this unless it was necessary,” Shacklebolt said.

“What about me?” Sirius cried.

“Sirius Black, I remember you marching into the middle of my seventh year Transfiguration class on your very first day at Hogwarts and demanding that Remus Lupin be expelled immediately because you were absolutely positive he was spying on you for your mother.”

“What?” Regulus looked between his brother and his brother’s best friend. Sirius was wincing and scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. Remus laughed.

“Yes, we didn’t get along so well in the beginning, did we?” he said, much to Regulus’ confusion. He couldn’t remember a time during all of Hogwarts that Sirius wasn’t practically glued to his best friends.

“How could we? You were so prim and proper, it was like my mother had trained you herself.”

“Please, I was trying to give the opposite impression of a werewolf,” Remus waved off the question Regulus hadn’t asked yet. “And besides, if I had been working for your mother, I would at least have been able to afford new robes. Probably would have sprung for a gold cauldron too.”

“Well, how was I supposed to know that?” Sirius demanded. Kingsley quietly removed the half-full whiskey bottle from Sirius’ reach. Mad-Eye took it for him happily enough and topped off his own glass.

“Back to the main subject,” Kingsley directed calmly. “How are you expecting this to play out?” Sirius was momentarily busy looking for the whiskey bottle and Remus was distracted with holding him back once he located it across the room.

“You’ll arrest Lucius for use of an Unforgivable,” Regulus said. “A simple extended _Prior Incantato_ will prove that he did cast it and he’ll be sent to Azkaban.”

“Like he should have years ago,” Sirius muttered, arms crossed and put out that he hadn’t been able to retrieve his alcohol.

“It won’t be a life sentence though, since he didn’t kill any of you and he didn’t technically endanger either of the youngins. At most, he’ll get a couple years,” Mad-Eye growled.

“You’re right,” Remus agreed. “We might be able to tack on another few years for child abuse, but it’s a longshot considering how long it’s been since Draco was removed from the Malfoy Manor. However, in the time that Lucius is in Azkaban, Narcissa will run the Malfoy estates. Every decision she makes during that time will set a precedent for the Malfoy name, things that Lucius won’t be able to undo when he returns.”

“Like what?” Mad-Eye was skeptical.

“Like the sort of causes and people the family will support and the kind of company they will keep,” Remus said.

“Draco will be able to safely stay with his mother in their home for the first time in years,” Regulus said. Mad-Eye only huffed at the comment, but Kingsley’s strict posture softened slightly.

“Lucius could still defend himself,” he reminded them. “And he’ll be able to afford the best lawyers available.”

“We’ve got documents that will stand against him,” Sirius countered. “He can fight us all he wants, but we’ll use every one of his attacks to turn public favor against him. After the war it shouldn’t even be hard.”

“By the time we’re done, the Wizengamot won’t be able to vote against us without risking substantial outcry,” Remus said.

“No matter how many of them Lucius has paid off,” Sirius grinned coldly.

Kingsley heaved his broad shoulders and looked to Mad-Eye who glowered at each of the other three men in turn. Regulus’ silent staring match felt too long, but he wasn’t worried, despite how the usually independent electric blue eye was suddenly drilling into him. Mad-Eye was gruff and, rumor had it, on the verge of paranoia-induced insanity, however, Sirius and Remus had both assured him that Alastor Moody was both insightful and fair. He couldn’t miss Regulus’ sincerity. After the eternal moment, Mad-Eye looked away and nodded to the room at large.

“We’ll pick up Lucius tonight, and let him steam in holding until morning. Be prepared for this whole dung heap to hit the press early tomorrow.” Regulus, Sirius and Remus all nodded solemnly. They had spent all day planning the coming weeks as exactly as they could. They had spent years preparing for this day. It was for their boys, for Draco and Harry. For the two children, any of them would give anything, and anyone, to protect. It wasn’t their fault if a haughty, controlling idiot sacrificed himself to their ire.

 

oOoOo

 

Mad-Eye was entirely correct when he said that the press would already have the story early the next morning. The _Daily Prophet_ led with “Lord Lucius Malfoy Arrested for Use of the _Cruciatus Curse_ : Death Eaters Regrouping?” Regulus had only rolled his eyes when he read the headline, until Remus had directed him to the rest of the article. The press somehow knew that he had been Lucius’ target.

The article first mentioned that ‘Lord Black’ was unavailable for comment, but then said that he would be questioned as soon as he could be reached. It was Sirius who confirmed that though the house’s extensive warding kept anyone from tracking them absolutely, many reporters had been seen milling around the village early that morning. Since then, more had gathered. Sirius and Remus packed bags for all five of them and took the boys to Andi’s to wait out the storm while Regulus went out to chase away the press. He gave a short comment and a subtle threat that kept most of the reporters away from them for a few days.

Kingsley also proved correct when Lucius hired a team of the most prestigious lawyers in the wizarding world. He probably would have won if Regulus hadn’t kept only the best on retainer ever since he had come back out in public after the war. She was a stern woman who had the, sometimes regrettable, propensity to remind Regulus of Minerva McGonagall. She was the best though, and it would have been entirely inappropriate for the head of the Black estates to be caught off guard.

It was a week before the trial could actually be brought before the Wizengamot. Lucius’ influence allowed him to spend that week on house arrest, though he wasn’t allowed a wand. Narcissa was also staying with Andi and with eight people living in a house meant for three, tensions were running high. Regulus was almost relieved when the court date finally arrived and he, Sirius, Remus, and Narcissa set off to the Ministry of Magic in new robes tailored specifically for the occasion. Sirius and Remus had both taken some bullying to get them into the expensive, new robes, but they had conceded that for today, at least, appearances mattered.

Photographers and reporters swarmed the atrium when they arrived, though only a handful were likely to be allowed into the courtroom itself. The trial was almost easy. It was impossible for Lucius to deny that he had cast _Crucio_ , though he argued that it was in defense of his son and heir and therefore excusable. Of course, Regulus didn’t have the best lawyer for nothing and she laid out the documents proving that Draco had been in Regulus’, as well as Sirius and Remus’, care for nearly three years and had in fact been removed from Lucius’ home because of his heavy-handed discipline. There were written testimonies from both Narcissa and Regulus listing the abuse they had witnessed, as well as the written testimonies from others who had witnessed interactions between Lucius and Draco. Since these interactions had been in public and Lucius was careful to maintain a clean reputation they were less damning, but still attested to the fear with which Draco regarded Lucius. All of this piled together destroyed Lucius’ defense and only two Wizengamot members dared to vote in favor of dropping the charges.

Lucius Malfoy was sentenced to two years in Azkaban for the offenses of use of an Unforgivable outside of times of emergency and an additional year for child endangerment. He was led away by four aurors, still handcuffed, with his back straight and his head held high. He looked straight ahead, not seeming to notice either his party of accusers to his left or the cameras flashing to his right.

Court was dismissed and Regulus, Sirius, Remus and Narcissa quickly made their way out of the courtroom, intent on reaching the apparition point before the reporters blocked their way. They had won, and they were relieved, but they wanted away from the press and the Ministry and back to their own lives. Remus and Sirius led them, parting the crowd, while Regulus walked with Narcissa, one hand on the middle of her back. Before they made it very far, though, Sirius noticed someone and paused. Regulus followed his gaze and saw a very red head of hair standing out from the crowd around it. The four of them changed direction. Arthur Weasley waited patiently for them, standing by the far wall, fiddling with some small contraption that he stuffed in his pocket when they drew near. Regulus had never met the man personally, but Sirius and Remus both trusted him. It was their vote of confidence that made Weasley one of their key testimonies.

The man stepped forward when they approached, easily clapping the shoulders of both Sirius and Remus, but when he turned to Regulus and Narcissa, his spine straightened minutely and his face clouded over with cautious distrust. “Lord Black,” Weasley said formally. “Lady Malfoy.”

“Mister Weasley,” they both nodded in turn. They all stood in tense silence, cameras still flashing toward them intermittently until Narcissa stepped forward.

“Mister Weasley, I would like to thank you,” she said. Weasley blinked at her like a startled cat. “Sirius and Remus were the ones who recommended soliciting you for witness in our case. You helped keep my son safe. You have my sincerest thanks.” She held out a regal hand in offer.

It took a long moment of Weasley looking anxiously at the other members of their party before he hesitantly accepted her hand. The handshake was short and stilted, but considering the feud that existed between the Weasley clan and the more traditional pureblooded families, Regulus considered the whole ordeal successful.

“I would like to add my thanks,” Regulus said. “We have all sacrificed to protect Draco and Harry and we were grateful to have found an ally, of sorts.” He offered his hand as well and Weasley accepted the gesture with only slightly more ease than he had Narcissa’s.

“It was my pleasure,” Weasley stuttered. He took a deep breath and his voice eased when he continued, “I have a family of my own--six sons, one daughter and the loveliest wife in the world--and I can’t imagine treating any of them the way I saw Lucius treat Draco three years ago. If anything, thank you for allowing me to help in some small way.” Out of the corner of his eye, Regulus noticed Narcissa’s usually cold gaze melt somewhat.

“Enough of the formality,” Sirius moaned, breaking the moment entirely. “We’ve just sent Lucius Malfoy to prison, we are legally and openly Harry and Draco’s guardians; it’s been a very successful day and I insist we go out for drinks. On Regulus. You’re coming too, Arthur.” Weasley began sputtering refusals, but Regulus spoke over him.

“That sounds perfect,” he said. “Please, Weasley, we’d be happy to have you, if you don’t have work.” Weasley paused.

“Well, I was given the day off, just in case there were any complications with the trial. Obviously there weren’t though, so...if you wouldn’t mind, I wouldn’t turn down a pint or two.” Regulus grinned.

“That sounds like the least I could do after your help, today.” That agreed, the men turned toward the exit.

“I think I’ll leave you all to it,” Narcissa said, nose only slightly scrunched. “I’m going to get my things from Andi’s house and I think I’ll take the boys to the Manor for the day. Draco would benefit from feeling safe in there again, and frankly, so would I. Besides, there are some rather large gardens Harry might enjoy flying in.” Regulus, Sirius and Remus all nodded and if Weasley was skeptical of the plan, at least he didn’t voice his doubts. The four of them had already decided that from here on, they would all have joint custody, with the boys sometimes staying at the Manor and sometimes at the house. Regulus was considering moving back into Grimmauld Place in the near future and likely the boys would stay with him sometimes too. Draco and Harry deserved the benefit of all of their parenting styles and the adults deserved the opportunity to have lives and relationships outside of their children now that all crises had been handled.

Narcissa said her farewells and left them, marching across the atrium and through the thinning crowd of reporters. Everyone parted around her and Regulus chuckled when some poor intern scuttled out of her way.

They found a small bar that wasn’t too crowded yet with the end of the work day still hours away and Regulus ordered the first round of drinks. Talk turned almost immediately to children, as parents are wont to do.

“Don’t they play with the muggle neighbors?” Arthur asked when Remus mentioned that the boys didn’t have many playmates.

“They used to,” Remus said, “even used to be on a footie team, but less so now that they’re learning more magic.”

Sirius explained, “Draco had never met a muggle before he came to live with us and was oblivious to what you could and could not tell a muggle. And now that he knows more magic and can control it better, Harry has a bad habit of trying to shock the other children.” Arthur threw his head back and laughed.

Sirius grinned and Remus at least had the grace to try to smother his smile. Regulus shook his head. “It sounds like they’d get on well with my boys,” he chortled, then narrowed his eyes at Sirius and Remus, seeming to remember who raised the children. “Considering the shenanigans you lot got into at school, though,” he said, “I don’t think I should introduce you to Fred and George. The two of them are troublemakers enough for us as it is, without your advice.”“AhWeasley,” he said, “you never should have told them that. Now they’ll show up on your , doorstep, invitation or not.” Weasley smirked in a way that proved exactly where Fred and George had gotten their mischievousness.

“It that case, come ‘round Sunday,” he said. “Molly will be making a big dinner, Harry and Draco can play with Ron and Ginny, and I think I’d like to _supervise_ this whole fiasco.”

“I’ll bring wine,” Regulus offered wryly over Sirius and Remus’ defenses of  ‘We would never!’ and ‘They’d be perfectly safe with us!’

Weasley knocked his pint glass against Regulus’. “It’s a deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've just got one more chapter after this which AO and I will be working together to write it (rather than one of us writing and one of us editing), but considering that we live on opposite sides of the country now, it could be a short wait. Thank you for your patience!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by Amalthea_Oberon and ChipOfftheOldSoul.
> 
> Happy 4th of July!!!

It was more than 6 months before the trial was old news and the  _ Prophet _ found a new victim to gossip about. Draco moved back to the Manor on a semi-permanent basis and Regulus started sleeping at Grimmauld again, though Remus found him on the couch more than once in the first year. It had become a bad habit for him to show up in the middle of the night and wake up early to make everyone breakfast. Remus didn’t blame him. Grimmauld Place had to be lonely without a small child running under his feet and a few friends to keep him company.

The boys regularly visited each other, with their own beds in each house, and continued their lessons. Remus started working again, but he stayed in the Muggle world. (He was not eager to return to work for a man who thought too little of most other people and had used him to get information from Greyback long after the war had come to an end and no one else was likely to take him due to his condition. He had found his own pack and was in no way eager to join another.) One of the junior football leagues was in need of an assistant coach and he had found he had an affinity for the sport which was all skill and no magic. 

“You just miss when the boys played,” the Blacks teased when he would go off to work. Remus just shrugged in response, smiled, and closed the door behind him.

Sirius went back to the Ministry, but changed departments. Having long since enacted  justice on the rat, he found he no longer cared for thinking like Dark Wizards, and relished even less working under Mad-Eye, who still argued and second guessed every decision Sirius made. Not being able to leave chaos alone, however, he started to work for the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes.

And, as all parents can tell you, the next three years flew by too quickly until, suddenly, they were packing for Hogwarts.

Harry’s eleventh birthday had been an exciting occasion. Draco had come to visit and Remus and Sirius had hidden the letter that had come the week before. Harry had excitedly torn or open when he saw the crest in the wax seal.

_ Dear Mr. Potter, _

_ We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry _ .

And here they were, barely more than a month later, packing their bags.

“Uncle Padfoot, you already went to school. You’re not coming with me!”

Remus watched as Sirius stuttered, searching desperately for any excuse but coming up empty.

“You’re silly,” Harry laughed and shoved him out of the trunk before he clicked the lid closed. “And neither are you, Uncle Moony!” Harry rounded on Remus, whose grin froze on his face. Harry’s bright green eyes shone mischievously through his round glasses, his hair in utter disarray. He looked every bit his father, but with an intelligence and sass that bespoke his mother.

_ James, I wish you were here to see this. You and Lily. _

Far too quickly everything was backed and piled by the front door. And off they went, taking the Knight Bus to King’s Cross Station. They zipped around the country side, first headed to Wales, then Scotland. The bus never drove to the cities in any logical order but apparated here and there in the business of getting witches and wizard to other places in the order they boarded, which is why Remus had always hated the Knight Bus - his stomach didn’t like always jumping about - but he had promised Harry that they would take it.  _ Always one for the dramatic entrance. I think he’ll find that no one is going to notice us getting off a bus. _

Harry was far too jittery to sit, standing and tapping his foot, almost falling over every time they apparated. He refused to sit down. “You’ll end up in the hospital before we even get to the station and then you’ll miss the Sorting. So  _ please _ . Sit. Down.” But he ignored them, looking out the windows with bright eyes and childish excitement at every stop. He had never been so many places at once and loved watching the witches and wizards attempt to blend - often awkwardly - into the Muggle world.

Harry almost left everything behind when their stop came and Remus just barely grabbed his sleeve in time. Harry stopped bouncing as they stepped off the bus with Hedwig and his trunk in tow. The Muggles on the street by gave them all sorts of looks, but the three ignored the passersby.

Remus and Sirius had crossed the street before he realized that Harry had lagged behind on the opposite curb, rooted to the spot. They turned back and Remus crouched down and smiled, guessing what was going through his mind. “What’s wrong, Bambi?”

Harry shook his head as if to clear his thoughts and tried to walk across the street without answering but Remus pulled him back, his smile turning into concern. “Bambi, it’s a big day. It was a big day for me, too. What’s going through that head of yours?

“What if- what if I get there and the Sorting Hat doesn’t sort me into any house at all. What if I get sent home?” He burst out suddenly, as if he had been holding it in for weeks and his top had finally blown under all the pressure.

“What-”

Harry interrupted, too anxious to let his uncle continue. “I’m not nearly as good as Draco at anything accept quidditch and I didn’t really do a lot of accidental magic. What if I’m not good enough? What if the hat laughs and me and sends me back?”

Remus pulled Harry into a hug, tousling his ever-messy hair. “Not going to happen,” he muttered, glancing up at Sirius.

“Your dad didn’t do much magic before Hogwarts either, but he could challenge the best of them, including your mom, and she was the very best. She could have been a Ravenclaw for all her brains. You could be in any house you wanted and you would do each of them a great deal of good.”

“He’s right,” Remus replied, standing.

Harry nodded and took a step, but quickly stopped, another question on his tongue, his eyes wide. “What if Draco and I are in different houses?”

Remus couldn’t help chuckling, despite the tremor in Harry’s voice. “Well, that would save your teachers a whole world of trouble, not to mention your heads of houses and the other students. But even if you’re in different houses you’ll see each other at meals and in classes and during your breaks.” Remus smiled, putting his hand on Harry’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. It will all work you like it’s supposed to. You’ll see. But if we don’t hurry now, we’ll miss the train entirely and we’ll have a whole other problem. Come on!”

Harry nodded again, thinking. “Maybe I’ll be sorted into Slytherin. It’s not a bad house after all. And that way Draco and I will be together!”

Remus watched Sirius freeze.  _ James, if only you could hear Harry now. I don’t know how you would handle this. _

“They will be lucky to have you. And I think no one would ever expect you of all people to go into Slytherin. But then again, you aren’t average, are you? Just do us one favor, though. No matter what house you are in, watch out for Snape. The only teacher stricter than him is McGonagall and he’s not half as kind as she is.”

Though Remus and Sirius had long since told Harry about his parents and their terrible, awful fate, they had been careful not to damn any of the houses. Sirius, having grown up with the pride of Slytherin, and Remus having grown up with nothing but prejudice against him, were determined to let Harry make his own choice.

All of Harry’s worries allayed for the moment, the three sprinted into the station, luggage in tow, and through the wall between Platforms 9 and 10 with time to spare.

 

oOoOoOo

 

Draco was fidgeting again. Regulus watched the boy push his breakfast back and forth across his plate, the egg yolk long since broken and it’s dribbling goo having turned the rest of the breakfast to yellow mush. Draco had become more and more withdrawn over the course of the last week, keeping to his room and sending an excessive amount of letters back and forth with Harry. Their poor owl had nearly run itself ragged, though the creature had never seemed happier. Though Regulus had visited often over the the last several days to help prepare for today’s trip to Hogwarts, Draco hadn’t confided even a word of whatever it was that troubled him.

“Draco, if you’re finished with your breakfast, please go get dressed,” Narcissa said. Draco sprang from his chair without a word and hurried from the room. Narcissa sighed when the grand double doors closed behind his back. “I tried to talk to him again,” she said and Regulus turned his attention from his godson to his cousin. “Last night,” she continued, “I tried to ask what he has been worrying about, but he sidestepped the question.”

“How so?” Regulus asked.

“He talked about how large Hogwarts is, how big a change this would be, how he would miss us and how he knew we would miss him. He sounded like he was reading out of my parenting books.” The fact that Narcissa didn’t wrinkle her delicate nose spoke to how worried she really was. She hated her parenting books. She had bought every single one of them herself when Draco had started living at the Manor again and she had poured over them until she could recite them. Since then, she had hidden them all on the topmost shelf in the dustiest corner of the library. “I’m almost tempted to intercept one of those letters he’s been sending to Harry.”

Regulus nodded, pensive. “Harry hasn’t told Sirius or Remus or else they would have mentioned it to one of us,” he said, “but I’ll talk to Sirius anyways. If we get to the station early, we can take him aside, see if he’ll talk to us about it.”

“Thank you, Regulus,” Narcissa said. “Now tell me how Ramona is doing. Did the ginger tea help with her morning sickness?” Regulus couldn’t have stopped his smile if he wanted to. And he didn’t particularly care to.

“Yes, she swore the other day that, because everything these days seems to make her nauseated, it’s a literal godsend and she will never drink anything else ever again. I think it smells vile, though. Isn’t there anything more...fragrant that you could give her?” Narcissa smiled as widely as she ever allowed herself.

“You’re not the pregnant woman, though, Regulus, your wife is, so it doesn’t particularly matter if you like the tea or not. Just wait another month or so and she won’t need the it anymore, I promise,” she said. She continued peppering Regulus about his expecting wife despite the fact that she and Ramona corresponded almost every day that Narcissa didn’t visit personally. It wasn’t until it was time for them to collect Draco and head to the station that they left the dining room and changed the subject.

They retrieved the nearly vibrating Draco and his heavy trunk and all three of them apparated straight to Platform 9 ¾. They weren’t the first ones to reach the train, but only a handful of parents and students stood clumped around the platform. For now, it was mostly quiet. Soon, though, more teens, preteens, parents, and pets would pour in and the volume of the platform would reach near deafening levels.

Sirius, Remus, and Harry all ran into the platform a few minutes later, all of them having insisted on taking the alternative entrance rather than simply apparating in. Harry sprinted to where Regulus and Narcissa stood with Draco without a thought for Sirius and Remus pushing his trolley behind him. “Draco!” Harry threw his arms around Draco tightly as if they hadn’t seen one another only two evenings before. Draco clung back just as tightly. Over their heads, Regulus caught Sirius’ eye and nodded to one side. When the boys pulled apart, Narcissa and Remus guided them towards the train to load their trunks and the owl the boys shared. With the boys’ attention elsewhere, Regulus led Sirius a few steps away.

“What’s up?” Sirius asked when they were out of earshot.

“Draco’s been agitated this past week,” Regulus said, “and he won’t give us a straight answer as to why. Has Harry said anything about it?” Sirius’ brow furrowed.

“No, not a word,” Sirius said. “What makes you think he’s not just worried about starting school?”

“Because that’s what he told Narcissa.”

“Ah.” Draco was kind, protective, and fiercely loyal to his family, but rarely up front about his own emotions. “Should we talk to Harry about it?”

“Maybe, but first would you talk to Draco with me? I’m hoping he’ll be more open with us away from everyone else.” Sirius nodded, looking worriedly towards Draco, and the two brothers returned to their family. The opportunity to talk didn’t come until the platform was nearly full. Harry ran off to greet the Weasleys and Remus followed after him quickly. With a significant look at Regulus, Narcissa followed as well. Draco was staring at the gleaming, red train, seeming to look straight through it. He didn’t look up when Sirius called his name several times until a hand landed on his shoulder. The boy jerked out of his thoughts and finally looked back up at his godfathers. With a hand still on his shoulder, Regulus led Draco back to the more secluded corner where they had talked earlier. Sirius followed along behind them. Never one to beat around the bush, he spoke first.

“Alright, little dragon, what’s going on with you? Your mum says you’ve been out of sorts all week.” Draco shot a faintly betrayed look towards where they had last seen Narcissa, but he only shrugged.

“I’m fine,” he said.

“No, you’re not,” Sirius argued. “What are you worrying about?”

“Nothing! It’s nothing!” Draco kept his voice to a harsh whisper, glancing around to make sure no one noticed the argument. “It’s not important.” For a moment, Regulus wished Draco was still small enough to wrap up in a hug and sit on his lap, then wished that they were in a place where he could try anyways. Instead, he wrapped an arm around Draco and pulled him into a hug. Draco stood rigid for a long moment before he abruptly melted into Regulus’ chest, wrapping his arms nearly too tightly around his godfather’s ribs.

“You are always important, Draco,” Regulus promised, face buried in Draco’s fine, blond hair. Draco’s arms tightened and he mumbled something that was smothered by Regulus’ robes.

“What was that?” Sirius asked. Draco sighed, but took a step away from the hug. When he spoke again, his voice was thin and he spoke to his polished boots rather than either of his godfathers.

“What if I’m in Slytherin?”

_ Oh. _ Regulus thought perhaps he should have seen this coming, but at the same time, he didn’t know how he could have.

“So what if you are?” he said seriously.

“I don’t want to be like Lucius.” Draco spat the man’s name in a way so familiar that it was obvious he had been eavesdropping on their late-night conversations again. Sirius, usually the one to lead, watched Regulus, waiting for him to direct this conversation.

“Well, I was in Slytherin and I’m not like him, am I?” Regulus kept his tone light, teasing, hoping to put Draco at ease.

“No...but…”

“And you mum and Aunt Andi were in Slytherin,” Sirius added, imitating Regulus’ attitude.

“But--” Draco cut himself off, obviously trying to organize his thoughts and Regulus and Sirius waited patiently while he did. “Andi ran away,” Draco said, “and you and Mum both did things you said you wish you hadn’t, that you did them because of bad influences you grew up with and went to school with. I don’t--I don’t want to be around bad influences, too. I--what if I--?” He didn’t seem willing to finish his thought.

_ Oh, Draco, _ Regulus thought. No one so young should have to worry about such big issues and consequences, though it had always been necessary considering his childhood and family. But Draco needed to know that good and bad people came from every place.

“We did have bad influences,” Regulus admitted. “Some of them were at school, but a lot of them were at home. What we did came from our own pride, too. But, Draco, you need to know that whichever house you’re sorted into, you’ll find both good and bad influences. You can make friends whether you’re in Slytherin or Gryffindor or Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff because even if you don’t find friends in your own house--and you almost definitely will, but if for some reason you don’t--you can make friends in other houses. Because one of the most important things we can teach you is that you choose your own influences.”

“You know, on that note,” Sirius added, “you can always ask the Sorting Hat to put you somewhere else. That’s what I did.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Sirius assured Draco. “Wherever you end up, we will all be proud of you.” Draco looked at Regulus with hesitant hope.

“Immensely proud,” Regulus promised.

For the first time in days, Draco smiled. Truly, genuinely grinned. Without warning, Draco launched himself forward, dragging both Regulus and Sirius into a hug.

“I love you,” Draco whispered.

“We love you too, so much.”

Harry ran over then, tackling himself onto the group hug. Behind him, Regulus saw Remus and Narcissa approaching more sedately. Narcissa raised one eyebrow in silent question with a look at Draco. Regulus nodded and Narcissa smiled.

“Draco, the train’s gonna leave! We’ve gotta go find a compartment before they’re all full.” Harry said a moment later, pulling them all apart.

With a final round of hugs and promises to write and pleas (mostly from Regulus and Narcissa) to not make too much trouble, Draco and Harry were loaded into the Hogwarts Express. The four adults waited together as the train rolled away until it chugged out of sight.

“You coming over for drinks, Reg?” Sirius asked as they began to amble away. “I feel like I could use something strong.”

“Tonight, maybe,” Regulus said. “Ramona wants to go nursery shopping today.”

“You should bring her over, too,” Remus said quickly. “We’ve still got some of her ginger tea at our place and we haven’t seen her in ages.” 

Remus and Ramona’s friendship had been one of the biggest surprises of Regulus’ marriage--beside that he had gotten married at all--though perhaps it shouldn’t have been. After graduating Hogwarts and receiving multiple offers from both the Ministry and private organizations, Ramona had ignored them all and happily followed in her Great-Uncle Scamander’s footsteps, traipsing around the world to study dwindling magical creatures. She was taking a sabbatical for the extent of her pregnancy, but was also already planning a trip to Alaska to check on rumored sightings of a bronze Ramora over the last few years. She and Remus got together every few weeks to discuss recent studies and critique outdated opinions. She hadn’t told Remus yet, but she was working on putting together a revision--as near a dissolving as the Wizengamot was likely to allow--of the current werewolf registry laws. Regulus would put the legislation to the Wizengamot as soon as she said it was ready. It was going to be a surprise for Remus.

“We’ll be over as soon as I can drag her away from the baby cribs and mobiles,” Regulus lied. Ramona would be the one dragging  _ him  _ away from cribs. And changing tables. And baby blankets. And stuffed animals. And toys. This wasn’t their first trip to baby stores. The shopkeepers of the maternity boutiques on Diagon Alley already knew Regulus very well, as did a few high-end Muggle shop owners. He was excited and who could blame him?

Narcissa excused herself, saying that she had some issues to take care of concerning the Malfoy estates and Sirius and Remus were heading home, both having taken the day off of work. As he prepared to apparate home to Ramona, Regulus thought he saw a flash of dull platinum hair out of the corner of his eye, but it dissolved back into the crowd of exiting parents before he could get a good look. He forgot the flash almost immediately, eager to return home. He would spend the day with his wife, the evening with his brother and friend, and because the boys were too impatient to wait until morning, he would likely hear from them that night.

 

 oOoOoOo

 

That evening, Regulus sat in Remus and Sirius’s living room, dozing lightly. Ramona was already asleep with her head on Regulus’ thigh and her feet in Remus’ lap. Remus and Sirius were chatting quietly, the both of them debating which houses Draco and Harry would end up in, though neither of them could stick to any house decisively. Regulus had already cast his vote on the matter, but now he was nearly asleep with exhaustion. Nursery shopping was quite an ordeal, after all. Behind his eyelids, he could still see mobiles twirling hypnotically.

A loud hoot startled Regulus awake and he turned to see the Hedwig with her leg already extended. Remus hastily untied the envelope from her leg and let her flap off to the bowl of owl treats they kept on top of the fridge.

“They both wrote,” he said, pulling out one piece of parchment that was covered in two different sets of handwriting. Sirius dove forward, but Remus kept the notes out of his reach and read aloud instead, starting with Harry’s chicken scratch.

 

_ Guess what? I got into Slytherin! A lot of the teachers looked shocked. I don’t know, maybe they thought I should have been Gryffindor. I’m not with the Weasleys or with Draco, which sucks. But the common room is so cool! There’s a HUGE fire place and there are portholes into the Black Lake and and we can see the Giant Squid when he gets close enough. _

_ I haven’t met Snape yet, but I don’t think I like him that much. He seems too full of himself. Everyone says that he’s wanted the DADA teaching position for years and always glares at whoever actually gets it. And he walks around like he’s looking for any reason to take away points. And he just stared at me when I got into Slytherin. I can’t tell if he doesn’t like me or is just surprised like all the other teachers. _

_ I wish first years could be on the Quidditch team. But I hear Slytherin is really good. Maybe I’ll try out anyway, just for fun. Convince Fred and George to make me an aging potion or something. _

_ I hope you’re proud of me. Uncle Regulus, Aunt Narcissa, and Draco all come from Slytherin families and I like them so I was happy to be put in Slytherin. I already have plans to sneak Draco and maybe Ron into the Slytherin common room. Maybe I can get Fred and George to help me with some pranks on the more stuffy Slytherins. Any suggestions? _

_ Love, _

_ Harry _

_ P.S. - don’t read that last little bit to Uncle Moony _

 

Remus only rolled his eyes before continuing on to Draco’s letter. 

 

_ Dear Mum, Regulus, Sirius, Remus and Ramona, _

_ I asked Harry not to tell you first, but I got Sorted into Hufflepuff. The entire Hall just went silent for a minute, except for Harry who cheered like I had just caught the snitch in the Quidditch World Cup (though the whole Hall went insane when Harry was Sorted Slytherin, did he tell you? I’m pretty sure a fight almost broke out, but Harry didn’t even care).  I don’t think anyone was more surprised than me. I was expecting  _ _ Slytherin _ _ maybe Ravenclaw and Harry kept saying I was going to get Gryffindor. I think some of the other Hufflepuff first years are a little afraid of me because, even with everything mum has done, people still talk about what Lucius did, but there are a few muggleborns who don’t know anything about the Malfoys and they’re friendly enough  _ _ for now _ _. Plus Dora apparently told some of her friends about Harry and me so some of the seventh years just asked me not to pull any pranks that I might have learned from her. I don’t think they believed me when I said they should be more worried about Harry than me. _

_ Harry said he was going to sneak me into the Slytherin common room at some point and that I had to sneak him into the Hufflepuff common room, but my prefects said that anyone from any house can be in our common room, if they ask nicely. Harry doesn’t believe me. _

_ Hedwig is getting impatient. Love you all, _

_ Draco _

_ P.S. Regulus and Sirius, thank you for what you said. _

 

“They’re going to do well there, I think,” Remus said when he finished.

“Of course they will,” Sirius said. He looked nearly bursting with pride, regardless of the fact that he had lost both his bets. “They were worried over nothing.”

“We’ll take Draco’s letter over to Narcissa in the morning,” Regulus offered and Remus folded up the letter and handed it over.

“What did you two tell Draco?” he asked.

“We just reminded him that he is important,” Regulus said, “and that we love him.”

“And that he has more power over who he is and who he will be than he thinks he does,” Sirius added.

They had all dealt with so much over the years--Lucius, Greyback, the public, and their own ghosts and inner demons--but their family was stronger for it. Draco and Harry had both had rocky starts but had grown strong, confident, adventurous, and--often--reckless. Draco had strong relationships that he could trust. Harry knew that he was loved unconditionally. Regulus and Sirius were closer than they had ever been even as children. Remus had become a trusted friend. Narcissa loved them all and allowed them to love her in return. She had turned the Malfoy name around--had worked with the right people and torn down her husband’s reputation through her kindness, acceptance, tolerance, and unending perseverance. Regulus had only ever hoped to be content in life, but through all that had happened--through all the pain and sorrow and heartache, the joy and adventure and love--their family was undeniably happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end of the chapter/AU came from the idea in this Tumblr post:
> 
> https://amalthea-oberon.tumblr.com/post/162605140348/marauders4evr-reg-and-i-will-be-proud-of-you
> 
> This is the end of this fic but watch out for one-shots to continue the story! Thanks so much for reading and putting up with our crazy sporadic posting! We love you guys!


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